Prime Minister

Yemen: Military Intervention

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions she has had with King Salman on her visit to the Gulf in December 2016 on the situation in Yemen; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Theresa May: I discussed a range of issues with King Salman related to the Gulf Region. The UK Government has been clear that we want to see a durable ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks because a political solution is the best way to bring long-term stability to Yemen.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many disability living allowance claimants in (a) Wansbeck constituency, (b) North East England and (c) the UK who have reapplied for personal independence payment have been unsuccessful in their applications.

Penny Mordaunt: The available data on clearances of claims by type (i.e. awarded, disallowed or withdrawn) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), by a range of breakdowns including whether they were new claimants or Disability Living Allowance to PIP reassessment claimants and to a range of geographical levels within Great Britain, is available from Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. Information regarding Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Office.

Department for Work and Pensions: Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the percentage gap in earnings is between the highest-paid and lowest-paid full-time employee in his Department.

Caroline Nokes: Government departments do not publish details of the salary of their highest to lowest paid employees. The Office for National Statistics do, however, publish the salary ratio of highest to median earners for each Civil Service organisation. These ratios are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics and can be found on the Office for National Statistics website: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016

Department for Work and Pensions: Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the percentage gap in earnings is between the pay of full-time staff in the highest pay grade in his Department and average full-time pay in that Department.

Caroline Nokes: The Office for National Statistics publish the salary ratio of highest to median earners for each Civil Service organization. These ratios are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics and can be found on the Office for National Statistics website: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016

Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to include worker representation on its departmental board.

Caroline Nokes: I refer the Hon. Member to the oral statement on the Corporate Governance Green Paper of 29 November 2016, Official Report, Column 1408. The Green Paper can be found as follows: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/573438/beis-16-56-corporate-governance-reform-green-paper-final.pdf

Child Poverty Unit: Staff

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent staff currently work in the Child Poverty Unit.

Damian Hinds: Holding answer received on 15 December 2016



The Prime Minister is clear that tackling poverty and disadvantage and delivering real social reform, is a priority for this Government. The Department for Work and Pensions is leading work across Government to bring forward a social justice green paper in the New Year which will identify and address the root causes of poverty, building upon the two statutory indicators set out in the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. The Child Poverty Unit’s main function was to support Ministers in exercising their duties in relation to the income-related targets set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010 and the associated child poverty strategy. Following the repeal of those targets, responsibility for child poverty policy and analysis transferred to the Department for Work and Pensions. The Social Mobility Commission Secretariat continues to be based in the Department for Education and the Secretary of State for Education is the lead Minister for the Commission.

Social Security Benefits

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the financial effect on recipients of working age benefits of the benefits freeze; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I previously provided on 6 December 2016 - http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-12-01/55848/

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the cost to claimants of the length of waiting times when making calls to his Department related to universal credits.

Damian Hinds: The average cost for a claimant waiting when making a call from a landline to Universal Credit is £0.41. This is based on the Average Speed to Answer of 3 minutes 27 seconds for this financial year to date.When a claimant phones Universal Credit and the Telephony Agent (TA) has established the reason for the call, the claimant may request a call back if they cannot afford the call. In these circumstances the TA must encourage the claimant to go online if the reason for the call is to make a claim to Universal Credit.If the claimant is considered vulnerable or suffering hardship, the TA can agree to the call back. Where the TA can ring back immediately they will do that, alternatively where this is not possible they will advise the claimant they will be called back within 3 hours and wrap up the call.

Universal Credit: Telephone Services

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average call waiting time was for (a) a claimant and (b) an hon. Member's office enquiring about a universal credits claim.

Damian Hinds: a) The Average Speed to Answer when a claimant makes a call to Universal Credit is 3 minutes 27 seconds based on this financial year to date.b) We do not hold data specifically for calls made from hon. Member's office’s enquiring about a Universal Credit.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had on what dates with the landlords of the Jobcentre Plus offices in (a) Shettleston, (b) Parkhead and (c) Easterhouse on the closure of Jobcentre Plus offices in Glasgow.

Damian Hinds: Since 1998 the Department has occupied the majority of its accommodation under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME contract. Under the terms of this 20 year PFI, the department contracts to occupy fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner, Telereal Trillium. The leases for the buildings in question are included within the provisions of this PFI arrangement and are therefore not held directly by the department. As such, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has had no discussions with the landlords of a) Shettleston, (b) Parkhead and (c) Easterhouse Jobcentre Plus offices.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

Natalie McGarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who the respective landlords are of the Jobcentre Plus offices in (a) Shettleston, (b) Parkhead and (c) Easterhouse.

Damian Hinds: Since 1998 the Department occupies the majority of its accommodation under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME contract. Under the terms of this 20-year PFI, the Department contracts to occupy fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner, Telereal Trillium. The leases for the buildings in question are included within the provisions of this PFI arrangement and are therefore not held by DWP. Therefore we are unable to supply the information you have requested.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2016 to Question 56188, on children: day care, if he will publish the methodology used to calculate the estimated spend forecasts.

Damian Hinds: The savings were estimated using DWP's models of the tax and benefit system. Extracting the full details of the calculations carried out within the models would only be possible at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to deal with the backlog of universal credit claims; and what support there will be in December 2016 for people waiting for such claims.

Damian Hinds: There is no backlog of Universal Credit claims. Where claims are delayed this is due to more information being required from the customer. Claimants in financial need can apply for an advance of Universal Credit. These requests can be made over the telephone and a decision can be made by agents on that call. All new Universal Credit claimants have the opportunity to discuss any concerns about how to budget their monthly payment with their work coach. Personal Budgeting Support is available online, by phone and face to face for those with budgeting difficulties. During December 2016, advances of Universal Credit and Personal Budgeting Support will be available as usual.

Universal Credit: Halton

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit payments have been paid back to claimants in the Borough of Halton in the last 12 months.

Damian Hinds: The information requested on Universal Credit payments is not available. Universal Credit official statistics can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/universal-credit-statistics

Fulfilling Potential Forum

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Fulfilling Potential Forum last met; and when the next meeting of that forum is planned to take place.

Penny Mordaunt: The Fulfilling Potential Forum meets twice a year and last met on 2 November 2016. A date has not yet been finalised for the next meeting.

Jobcentres: Glasgow

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish on the Government's website the public consultation on proposed job centre closures in Glasgow; and if he will extend the time period for that consultation to take account of the time taken for such online publication since the Department's announcement on 7 December 2016 on plans for that consultation.

Damian Hinds: The current consultation process for the proposed closure of Glasgow Bridgeton Jobcentre, Glasgow Castlemilk Jobcentre and Glasgow Maryhill Jobcentre started on 7 December 2016. Stakeholders in the area have been notified of this by letter, with leaflets and posters also made available to customers. The Department is currently considering other options on public consultation.

Disabilities Charities Consortium

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when Ministers from his Department last met the Disabilities Charities Consortium.

Penny Mordaunt: I met last with the Disability Charities Consortium on Thursday 1st December 2016.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2016 to Question 56414, if he will establish a programme to make regular contact with a group of people who are subject to a benefit sanction in order to discern whether they have used food banks at any time over the duration of the sanction for the purposes of collecting data and determining whether there is a link between benefit sanctions and food bank usage.

Damian Hinds: I refer the hon. Lady to my previous Answer of 12 December 2016 to Question 56414.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Employment of 22 June 2015, Official Report, column 608, whether it is his Department's position that there is no robust evidence that directly links sanctions and food bank use.

Damian Hinds: It continues to be widely acknowledged that food bank use cannot be attributed to a single cause and the reasons that people use foodbanks are complex and overlapping.

Home Office

Visas

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applications were processed by UK Visas and Immigration in the last five years; and what proportion of those applications were rejected the first time each such application was submitted.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The available information is published in the Home Office’s quarterly ‘Immigration Statistics, July - September 2016’, (visa data tables volume 1) table vi_01_q, available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2016/list-of-tables#visas

Travel Restrictions: USA

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussion she or her Department has had with the (a) incoming and (b) outgoing US administrations on the possibility of banning certain groups of British citizens from travel to the US.

Mr Robert Goodwill: It is for the United States Government to determine what rules it puts in place for entry across its borders. The most recent changes the US made were in December 2015 and we have been in close contact with the US Administration with regard to the implications of those changes for UK citizens throughout their implementation.

Breathalysers

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether approval orders for breath test measuring devices are statutory instruments, subordinate to primary legislation.

Brandon Lewis: Approval orders are made under powers conferred by the section 7(1)(a) of the Road Traffic Act (1988) to approve a type of a device to analyse specimens of breath. Approval orders for breath test instruments are not statutory instruments.The Road Traffic Offenders Act (1988) makes the results of such tests (obtained from an approved device) admissible in evidence in court. It has a sound legal basis and has legal effect. It extends and applies to England, Wales and Scotland. The admissibility of such evidence is a long established principle and one which the courts deal with on a daily basis.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Staff

Helen Whately: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what measures his Department has in place to support those of its staff who have mental health problems.

James Brokenshire: The Northern Ireland Office is able to access a number of services, including welfare support and employee assistance programmes, through our links with the Ministry of Justice. Specific support for staff who have mental health issues include: An independent Employee Assistance Provision that provides confidential counselling sessions for employees, 24 hour telephone support, coaching for managers, mediation and group counselling;Access to an internet Wellbeing Zone which contains wellbeing advice, fact sheets and videos on managing stress, healthy eating and healthy lifestyle choices. This is also part of our Employee Assistance Provision;An Occupational Health provider that offers medical advice for managers supporting employees with mental health issues;An attendance management system that is aligned with our wellbeing strategy and encourages proactive interventions for employees with mental health issues including prompt Occupational Health referrals with a view to ensuring that supportive measures and reasonable adjustments are identified and implemented promptly;An individual Stress Assessment process; andToolkits for managers which recognise the links between musculoskeletal illnesses and mental health conditions.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme: Northern Ireland

Mr David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the Northern Ireland Office Renewable Heating Incentive Scheme, published on 5 July 2016, what steps his Department is taking to support the Northern Ireland Executive to create an open and accountable process to investigate Renewable Heating Incentive overspend.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 16 December 2016



The Northern Ireland Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive and not the Northern Ireland Office. The Northern Ireland Audit Office has responsibility for the financial and value for money audit of central government bodies in the Northern Ireland Executive.

Independent Reporting Commission

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, when he expects the Independent Reporting Commission on paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland to begin its work; and how many full-time personnel he expects it to comprise initially.

James Brokenshire: Commissioners to the Independent Reporting Commission have been appointed by the UK Government, the Government of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Executive. They will begin their preparatory work in January 2017. The Commission will become fully operational when the Treaty signed in September between the UK Government and the Government of Ireland, and supporting legislation in Ireland, is in place. The UK Government is providing up to £3 million over four years under the Fresh Start Agreement to establish and run the Commission. It is anticipated that the Commission will comprise up to four support staff.

Department of Health

Department of Health: Equal Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.

David Mowat: The Department has reported mean and median gender pay gap data since 2008 as part of the annual release of Civil Service Statistics by the Office for National Statistics. The latest gender pay gap data (published in October earlier this year) can be found on the Office for National Statistics website: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016 In October 2015, the then Prime Minister announced that new gender pay gap reporting measures being introduced across the private and voluntary sector from April 2017 would be extended to also apply across the public sector. The Department is actively working to ensure the gender pay gap data reported in future fully mirror these new requirements. The Civil Service has a comprehensive plan to become the most inclusive employer in the United Kingdom. This is called the Talent Action Plan and was refreshed in March 2016. The plan commits the Civil Service to a number of actions with the aim of removing barriers faced by underrepresented groups, including women, from succeeding. The plan sets out the ambition under key themes which includes recruitment and selection, talent and progression, inclusive culture and social mobility. Key actions include ensuring single gender panels in recruitment and shortlists are now by exception only (as committed in the first publication of the Talent Action Plan) and committing the Civil Service to reviewing the way in which talent is defined and identified to ensure more inclusive ways to identify potential are developed.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the £20 million budget cap on the number of available cancer treatments.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that, along with NHS England, it is consulting on a proposal to apply a budget impact threshold test of £20 million per year to new NICE-appraised drugs and medical technologies (devices and diagnostics). Subject to the outcome of consultation, this test would not be applied retrospectively and therefore would not have an impact on any cancer treatments already positively appraised by NICE.

Breast Cancer: Drugs

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2016 to Question 54228, whether he intends to respond to the finding of Breast Cancer Now that three in four UK Breast cancer oncologists are unable to prescribe bisphosphonates due to funding issues and the lack of a clear commissioning pathway.

Nicola Blackwood: The Manual for Prescribed Specialised Services 2016/17 describes which elements of specialised services are commissioned by NHS England and which by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). For specialist cancer services, the Manual makes clear that CCGs are responsible for commissioning adjuvant drug treatments, for example, drugs affecting bone metabolism including bisphosphonates. The Manual is available at:www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2016/06/pss-manual-may16.pdf Decisions about the commissioning and funding of bisphosphonates for the treatment and prevention of secondary breast cancer are taken by local CCGs which are best placed to know what local need exists.

Medical Records: Disclosure of Information

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues to NHS Trusts on making payments to third parties in connection with data sharing agreements; and whether any such guidance has been issued to the Royal Free Hospital.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department has not issued any guidance covering payments to third parties in connection with data sharing agreements, and has not issued any specific advice to the Royal Free Hospital. Any arrangements local National Health Service organisations enter into with third parties to manage data on their behalf, whether for research or any other purposes, must comply with the Data Protection Act 1998.

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions Ministers or officials in his Department have had with the Royal Free Hospital on safeguarding the confidentiality of patient information.

Nicola Blackwood: The Government takes the issue of confidentiality of patient information very seriously and any sharing of information between organisations must be authorised and appropriate. The National Health Service has robust processes in place to protect people’s confidential information.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the new cervical screening database will be ready in time for the rollout of HPV primary screening.

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve cervical screening coverage.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS England is working with primary care support providers to develop a new cervical screening call and recall system. We expect the new cervical screening call and recall system to be introduced by April 2019. In addition, NHS England is working closely with Public Health England to align implementation plans for human papillomavirus (HPV) primary screening. We expect HPV screening to be rolled out from April 2019. NHS England closely monitors the coverage rates for cervical screening in all age groups and is committed to improving coverage. Local NHS England commissioners analyse coverage rates within their area and work with healthcare professionals to improve coverage. This includes sharing and implementing best practice such as cervical screening guides for general practitioner practices or targeting practices with low coverage rates. At a national level NHS England is working with Public Health England to make evidence based improvements such as improving invitation letters to patients to encourage more to attend their cervical screening appointment. NHS England is working in partnership with Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support on the ACE (Accelerate, Coordinate, Evaluate) Programme aiming to generate knowledge about effective approaches to achieve earlier diagnosis. A number of ACE test sites are evaluating approaches to increase screening rates in a range of groups, including black and ethnic minority women, women with learning disabilities and women from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Joint Replacements

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted on the ability of people awaiting joint replacement surgery to participate in exercise.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department recently announced a record £816 million of funding for ground-breaking health research. The Department welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including joint replacement surgery. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.Successful applications in the past related to joint replacement have included: "Occupational advice initiated prior to planned surgery for lower limb joint replacement" (£567,975.72), and "An investigation of knee joint functioning in people with and without knee osteoarthritis" (£2,270,873).

Surgery: Vale of York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will instruct the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group to end its policy on postponing surgery for patients who smoke or have a BMI over 30.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on the decision of the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group's policy to postpone surgery for patients who smoke or have a BMI over 30.

Mr Philip Dunne: It is for individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to make commissioning decisions based on the needs of patients in their area, and interact with stakeholders regarding those decisions. This does not and cannot mean blanket bans on particular patients, such as smokers, getting operations, which would be inconsistent with the NHS Constitution. However, major surgery poses much higher risks for severely overweight patients who smoke. So local general practitioner-led CCGs are entirely right to ensure these patients first get support to lose weight and try to stop smoking before their operation. Reducing obesity and cutting smoking is of long-term benefit to patient health.

Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients do not face delays in obtaining access to treatments for rare and ultra-rare diseases.

Nicola Blackwood: The UK Strategy for Rare Diseases, published in November 2013, contains 51 high level commitments which comprise a long term strategic vision for improving the lives of all those with rare diseases and conditions. The UK Strategy includes commitments to deliver effective interventions, treatments and support to patients quickly, equitably and sustainably. All four countries of the United Kingdom have agreed to implement the strategy by 2020. We are committed to ensuring that patients with rare and ultra-rare diseases in England are able to access effective treatments. This is why we launched the Accelerated Access Review to make recommendations to Government on speeding up access for National Health Service patients to innovative and cost effective new medicines, diagnostics and medical technologies. The Review was published on 24 October 2016 and further information is available at: www.gov.uk/government/news/getting-patients-quicker-access-to-innovative-healthcare The Government will respond to the review in due course. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended a number of treatments for rare and ultra-rare diseases through its Highly Specialised Technologies evaluation. In addition, NHS England has made a number of treatments available for such conditions through its specialised commissioning procedure.

Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that proposed delays to NICE's process for highly specialised technologies will not delay access to treatments for rare and ultra-rare diseases.

Nicola Blackwood: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that the proposed arrangements are intended to both speed up access to effective treatment and provide clarity about the level of cost effectiveness below which funding will be made available, automatically and without delay, for highly specialised technologies that receive positive recommendations from NICE speeding up access to the latest drugs. Those products that have a value proposition of above £100,000 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) would be provided with a further opportunity to be considered for use in the National Health Service, through NHS England’s annual process for deciding which new treatments and services will be routinely commissioned. Furthermore, the proposed changes are intended to clarify NICE’s existing responsibility to determine the period within which funding for recommended products needs to be made available by commissioners of services. This clarity should allow companies and commissioners to work on commercial arrangements in advance of and in parallel with the development of NICE technology appraisal and highly specialised technology guidance. In circumstances where this may not be possible, specific requests from commissioners to vary the timescale for the funding requirement will be considered by NICE.

Food: Sugar

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2016 to Question 55157, how his Department plans to ensure that progress will be regularly and transparently monitored on the food industry's reduction of sugar in its products; who will be responsible for conducting such monitoring; and how and at what frequency the public will be made aware of the outcome of such monitoring.

Nicola Blackwood: Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for the structured, transparent monitoring of the sugar reduction programme. Interim reports will be published every six months and a more comprehensive audit of progress will be provided at 18 and 36 months after publication of the targets in March 2017. Information will be made available on the GOV.UK website so that external bodies and members of the public can view and scrutinise the data.

School Meals: Pre-school Education

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Childhood Obesity Plan, page 10, published in August 2016, what progress has been made on the development of revised menus for early years settings which are due to be completed by December 2016.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects Public Health England to publish revised voluntary food guidelines for early years settings.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings (a) officials and Ministers from his Department and (b) Public Health England officials have had with the Children's Food Trust on revising menus for early years settings.

Nicola Blackwood: In June 2016, Public Health England (PHE) commissioned the Children’s Food Trust (CFT) to develop a series of menus for early years settings in England. Good progress has been made and it is anticipated that the menus will be delivered to PHE by the end of December 2016 for final consideration. The Government plans to publish the menus and run an accompanying awareness campaign in 2017. An External Reference Group was convened to inform the development of menus, comprising representatives from early years providers and the health sector, and relevant expert bodies. The CFT are providing the Secretariat to this group. This group met five times between June and December 2016. Officials from PHE and the Department attended these meetings. In addition a number of informal meetings between the CFT and PHE officials also took place between June and December to help facilitate the process.

Tobacco

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 25 August 2016 to Question 43383, when he plans to publish the next Tobacco Control Plan.

Nicola Blackwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 December 2016 to Question 55414.

Anaemia

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the causes of regional variation in rates of iron deficiency and anaemia.

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to address regional variation in iron deficiency.

Nicola Blackwood: Public Health England (PHE) has assessed the prevalence of iron deficiency in the United Kingdom as a whole and in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as part of the National Diet and Nutrition Survey. The results indicate little difference between the UK countries. Numbers are too small to permit a more detailed regional analysis and no further assessment has been made. PHE provides public–facing advice on how to achieve the dietary recommendations for iron as part of its general advice on a healthy balanced diet, as set out in the Eatwell Guide.

Nutrition: Health Education

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings he, Ministerial colleagues and officials of his Department have had with Public Health England to discuss the nutrient profile model since 18 August 2016.

Nicola Blackwood: The nutrient profile model has been discussed at various formal and informal meetings since 18 August. Officials attended Public Health England’s nutrient profiling model Reference Group and Expert Group meetings on 12 September and 7 November. Details about these meetings is available at:www.gov.uk/government/collections/review-of-the-nutrient-profiling-model

Agri-Food Technology Council

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings he, Ministerial colleagues and officials of his Department have had with the Agri-Food Technology Council since 18 August 2016.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings he, Ministerial colleagues and officials of his Department have had with the Food Innovation Network since 18 August 2016.

Nicola Blackwood: Ministers and officials from the Department have not met with the Agri-Food Technology Leadership Council or Food Innovation Network since 18 August 2016. We will however continue to work with these groups and other stakeholders in the delivery of the Childhood Obesity Strategy.

Nutrition: Health Education

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to (a) increase the amount of healthy food and (b) improve the quality of dietary advice accessible to people on low incomes.

Nicola Blackwood: Public Health England (PHE) promotes healthy eating messages to the wider population and is delivered through our social marketing campaign, Change4Life, which targets lower income families. Evidence-based messages are also provided via the NHS Choices website, including promotion of 5 A DAY messages and the Eatwell Guide, the nation’s healthy eating model. The guide and its messages were tested with lower socio-economic groups during development. The Government supports a range of initiatives to provide a ‘nutritional safety net’ including the Healthy Start scheme which provides vouchers that can be spent on milk, fruit, vegetables and infant formula milk to more than half a million pregnant women and children under four years old in very low income and disadvantaged families, the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme and free school meal entitlement for all infant children. As set out in the Childhood Obesity Plan, PHE is working to reduce sugar consumption, which includes measures to reduce sugar within the top food categories that contribute the most to children’s sugar intakes. This programme will support wider efforts to reduce intakes across the population.

UKactive

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times he, Ministerial colleagues and officials of his Department have met with UKActive since 18 August 2016.

Nicola Blackwood: Since 18 August, officials have met with ukactive and have spoken to events organised by them on five different occasions. There has not been a ministerial meeting with ukactive during that period.

Nutrition: Health Education

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the dairy sector is consulted ahead of future revisions of the Eatwell Guide.

Nicola Blackwood: Government policy on nutrition is based on advice from expert groups, including the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, and keeps its advice under review. The approach considered the most objective and robust by an external reference group to inform the sizes of the Eatwell Guide food group segments, including the dairy and alternatives, ensured all government dietary recommendations were met. Public Health England has no plans to revise the Eatwell Guide, but if it were to review the model in light of changes to dietary recommendations, then it would engage with all relevant stakeholders, including the dairy sector.

Smoking

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to help to encourage the spread of best practice for stop smoking services.

Nicola Blackwood: A number of measures are in place to support the National Health Service and local public health services to help stop people smoking. Public Health England (PHE) will continue to commission the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training to provide free online training, briefings and service reviews to support commissioning and delivery of stop smoking services. PHE will review and update the CLeaR tobacco control tool, which provides a self-assessment and peer review model for local areas to reflect on and develop their local tobacco control programmes, including stop smoking services. PHE has also developed a Menu of Preventative Interventions to support local Sustainability and Transformation Plans, including actions to treat tobacco dependence among patients who smoke. The new national alcohol and tobacco CQUIN (Commissioning for Quality and Innovation) indicator will support the NHS to record the smoking status of all inpatients and to offer smokers medication and referral. PHE will continue to support local authorities to review the effectiveness of stop smoking interventions, particularly where they want to commission new quitting support models.

Exercise: Pre-school Education

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings he and his ministerial colleagues have had with (a) the Chief Medical Officer, (b) officials and Ministers from other Departments and (c) external stakeholders on updating the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework to make specific reference to physical activity.

Nicola Blackwood: Work on updating the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework is being led by the Department of Education with input from Department of Health officials. There have been no separate meetings with Ministers in the Department of Health about this matter.

Anaemia

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding the accessibility and availability of intravenous iron services to treat patients with iron deficiency before that condition develops into anaemia.

Nicola Blackwood: It is for local National Health Service organisations to develop their own policy to treat patients with iron deficiency or iron deficiency anaemia, based on their clinical needs.

Care Homes: Vaccination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2016 to Question 54057, how many vaccinations were provided to care home staff (a) in 2015-16 and (b) to date in 2016-17; and what proportion of vaccines issued in each of those years that number represents.

Nicola Blackwood: The information is not available in the format requested.

Patients' Rights: Medical Treatments

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on ensuring that patients have the right set out in the NHS Constitution to access any NICE-approved treatments that are clinically appropriate for them.

Nicola Blackwood: National Health Service patients’ right in the NHS Constitution to drugs and treatments recommended in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal and highly specialised technology guidance, where clinically appropriate, is underpinned by the legal requirement for NHS commissioners to fund such treatments, normally within three months of NICE issuing its final guidance.

Blood: Contamination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of litigation related to people affected by contaminated blood and the related support scheme his Department is involved in resolving.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department is currently involved in two cases of litigation related to people affected by infected National Health Service supplied blood or blood products. It would not be appropriate to comment further on these cases.

Nurses: Training

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the move from bursaries to student loans on the volume of applications for nursing courses at universities.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government’s Economic Impact Assessment found that nursing is consistently one of the most popular courses on University Central Administration Service (fifth), with 57,000 applicants for around 20,000 nursing places in 2015. The Economic Impact Assessment also set out that a maximum £9,000 tuition fee for other subjects at higher education institutions was introduced in 2012. Between 2012 and 2014 the number of English domiciled applicants to enter full-time undergraduate courses in the United Kingdom increased by 7.5% (from 454,000 in 2012 to 487,870 in 2014).1 The Economic Impact Assessment can be found on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changing-how-healthcare-education-is-funded The Government is committed to monitoring, in detail, data regarding application rates, diversity statistics and workforce supply following the implementation of the reforms.1 Based on data provided by UCAS to the RCN for “The Fragile Frontline” (2015) - http://royalnursing.3cdn.net/9808b89b8bfd137533_krm6b9wz7.pdf

Nurses: Training

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the move from bursaries to student loans for nursing courses on the volume of applications for such courses made by mature students.

Nicola Blackwood: A preliminary Equality Analysis was published alongside the public consultation document on the 7 April 2016. The Government published a consultation response and revised Equality Analysis on the 21 July 2016. These documents provide the assessment of the potential effect of the replacement of National Health Service bursaries by student loans for all the protected characteristics of the Public Sector Equality Duty (Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). The Equality Analysis can be found on the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changing-how-healthcare-education-is-funded The Government is committed to monitoring, in detail, data regarding application rates, diversity statistics and workforce supply following the implementation of the reforms.

Social Services

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that adequate levels of a wide range of adult social care is available in each local authority area.

Nicola Blackwood: Local councils are responsible for ensuring adequate provision of social care services for eligible users and carers in their area. However, social care is a key priority for this Government, and we are giving councils access to further funding to manage social care pressures in their local area across the next few years:- Next year councils will be able to raise the precept by up to 3%, and 3% the year after (2018/19). This could raise £200 million in additional funding for adult social care in 2017/18 and over £400 million in 2018/19.- The Government is also providing an additional £240 million to fund adult social care through the Adult Social Care Support Grant, funded by reforms to the New Homes Bonus. These new changes provide access to an additional £450 million for social care next year, following calls from the sector that funding was most needed in 2017/18. Taken together with the funding announced in the autumn 2015 Spending Review, this means that local government will have access to the funding it needs to increase social care spending every year in this Parliament. The spending review gave councils the flexibility to introduce a 2% social care precept for adult social care, and access to additional funding for adult social care worth £1.5 billion by 2019/20 through the Better Care Fund, starting in April 2017.

Care Homes: Disability

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidelines he provides to local authorities on the commissioning of 24-hour care places for adults with severe disabilities.

Nicola Blackwood: The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to meet a person’s eligible needs. Where a person requires 24 hour care local authorities should arrange services to meet those needs having regard to best practice guidance for example developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2016 to Question 56048, what proportion of referrals ended had a valid mental health care cluster recorded; and how many referrals ended that were recorded under each mental health cluster code, in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme, in each clinical commissioning group, in 2015-16.

Nicola Blackwood: This information is not available in the format requested.

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have received electroconvulsive therapy in each year since 2010 for each mental health condition.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have received electroconvulsive therapy who were considered incapacitated, without their consent, in each year since 2010.

Nicola Blackwood: The data is not held in the format requested.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2016 to Question 55994, how many sustainability and transformation plans contain proposals to reduce the number of qualified nurses; and what estimate he has made of the number of nursing places that will be reduced under those plans.

David Mowat: Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) have been drawn up by 44 local leadership coalitions. Each area will now be engaging and, where required, formally consulting on their proposals with communities, staff, unions, and other stakeholders. Although most STPs contain proposals to develop and reshape their local workforce, the proposals are at too early a stage to provide definitive numbers on the effect on specific staff groups. Work to assess this impact is ongoing.

Medical Records

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2016 to Question 53369 on Capita, if he will make an estimate of the number of medical records that are currently missing.

David Mowat: I refer the hon. Member to the Answer that I gave on 14 December 2016 to Question 56394.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2016 to Question 55911, what information NHS Digital holds on the number of appointments conducted (a) in person, (b) by telephone and (c) other consultation media in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme.

Nicola Blackwood: A supplementary analysis based on the consultation medium given was published by NHS Digital on 2 November 2016 at:http://content.digital.nhs.uk/media/22786/iapt-supp-info-app-ther-cmed-2015-16/xls/iapt-supp-info-app-ther-cmed-2015-16.xlsxNHS Digital has collected information on the consultation medium (e.g. telephone) on the entirety of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies data collection since April 2012.

NHS Trusts: Private Patients

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2016 to Question 55033, if he will make an estimate of the level of outstanding fees from private patients.

Nicola Blackwood: We are informed by NHS Improvement that National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts do not specifically disclose the amount owed from private patients at the year end. However trusts provide NHS Improvement with data on revenue and losses in their accounts. This data for 2015/16 suggests that 99.5% of total private patient revenue billed was collected in due course. Any surplus generated from the treatment of private patients is reinvested by the provider for the benefit of NHS patients.

Dental Services: Costs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the cost of dentistry services on the number of people who seek to treat their own dental problems.

David Mowat: The Department does not hold this information.

Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons TB vaccinations are not available on the NHS to children in all London boroughs; and what the requirements are for boroughs to provide TB vaccinations by the NHS.

Nicola Blackwood: The implementation of the 2014 strategy to move to universal offer of Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccination for all babies up to the age of one year in London has been interrupted by a global shortage of the BCG vaccine since April 2015. Public Health England has successfully secured an alternative unlicensed supply of BCG vaccine for the United Kingdom from a different manufacturer. As stocks remain restricted, NHS England has produced a protocol for delivery to those in the following priority groups:- All infants (aged 0 to 12 months) with a parent or grandparent who was born in a country where the annual incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is 40/100,000 or greater.- All infants (aged 0 to 12 months) living in areas of the UK where the annual incidence of TB is 40/100,000 or greater.

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time was for dental treatment at dental hospitals in the last 12 months.

Nicola Blackwood: We do not routinely collect this information.

Dental Services: Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of children are registered to a dentist; and what estimate his Department has made of the average frequency with which children visited a dentist in the last 12 months.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people in each region of England are registered with a dentist.

Nicola Blackwood: Information is not available in the format requested.

Dental Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many dentist surgeries there are in each region and; and how many dentist surgeries have closed since 2010.

Nicola Blackwood: We do not hold the data requested.

Folic Acid: Flour

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on mothers' health of compulsory folic acid in flour; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: It is the Government’s recommendation that women who are either planning to get pregnant or are pregnant, whatever their age, should take a 400 microgram folic acid supplement before and during the early days of pregnancy for the health and development of the unborn baby. One option for increasing folic acid intake that was considered was mandatory fortification of flour, but the Government decided that mandatory fortification is not the right way forward and therefore has no plans to introduce it for England.

Drinks: Sugar

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of recent trends in consumption of sugary drinks by children; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: Public Health England (PHE) monitors the purchase and consumption of sugary drinks by children on an ongoing basis through the National Diet and Nutrition Survey and other data sources. PHE’s evidence on reducing sugar consumption, published in October 20151, identified a number of measures that could be implemented to reduce the amount of sugar in the diet, including the contribution that soft drinks make to children’s intakes. A number of these are already in progress such as the soft drinks industry levy (which is the responsibility of HM Treasury), PHE’s sugar reduction programme, public awareness raising through PHE’s Change4Life campaign and the significant programme of actions in the Childhood Obesity Plan. It is unlikely that a single action alone would be effective but a combination of these and other factors are likely to improve diet and reduce sugar consumption. Note: [1]https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/470179/Sugar_reduction_The_evidence_for_action.pdf

Cereal Products: Sugar

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has had discussions with breakfast cereal manufacturers on the levels of sugar in their products.

Nicola Blackwood: To inform work on childhood obesity and gather technical information on sugar reduction, Public Health England (PHE) met with 40 different food companies in May and June 2016. This included major breakfast food manufacturers. Following the publication of the Government’s Childhood Obesity Plan in August, a further meeting was held with major breakfast cereal manufacturers and retailers; this focused solely on breakfast cereals. Summaries of the meetings and PHE’s proposals will be publicly available on Gov.uk in January 2017.

Diets: Monitoring

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department takes to monitor the potential effect of novel dietary regimes on those adopting them.

Nicola Blackwood: Public Health England monitors the diet and nutritional status of the United Kingdom population through the National Diet and Nutrition Survey to identify new or changing dietary issues and support its public–facing advice on how to achieve a healthy balanced diet, as set out in the Eatwell Guide. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition can also assess the effect of a particular dietary regime on the health of those adopting it if this was considered important and if there was sufficient scientific evidence to form the basis of an evidence review.

Health Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to encourage people between the ages of 45 and 55 to keep fit and adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Nicola Blackwood: Public Health England launched One You, the new campaign for adult health, on 7 March 2016. The campaign was developed to energise and engage millions of adults - including 45 to 55 year olds - to make and sustain changes to improve their own health. The campaign focuses on promoting eating well, quitting smoking, physical activity and reducing alcohol consumption as well as sleeping better and reducing stress. One You provides information, advice and online tools, including the ‘How Are You’ health quiz, One You website, email programme, and a suite of mobile apps. The overarching aim of One You is to reduce unhealthy behaviours as well as prompt uptake of healthier behaviours.

Smoking

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to require local authorities to provide stop smoking services.

Nicola Blackwood: The most recent data show that smoking rates among adults and young people are at their lowest ever level. This has been achieved through the implementation of a comprehensive tobacco control strategy, one element of which is the provision of evidence-based stop smoking services. Smoking rates vary considerably across the country and it is right that local councils have the flexibility to consider how best to respond to the unique needs of their local population.

Mental Health Services: Ethnic Groups

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the recommendations of NHS England's Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, what progress has been made on the development of a patient and carers race equality standard.

Nicola Blackwood: We welcomed the recommendation in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health to appoint a national Equalities Champion with a specific remit to tackle mental health inequalities across the health system and through cross-Government action. We are working with our stakeholders to progress this recommendation. We will consider how best to address a range of equality issues in mental health, including giving consideration to the recommendation of the Independent Commission on Acute Adult Psychiatric Care, established and supported by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, that a Patients and Carers Race Equality Standard should be piloted in mental health.

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding his Department plans to provide to the secretariat of the World Health Organisation framework convention on tobacco control in each of the next 10 years.

Nicola Blackwood: The budget for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s secretariat and consequently the Assessed Contributions of Parties is set biannually at the Conference of the Parties (COP). As a direct result of pressure from the European Union at COP 7 it was agreed the budget would be subject to zero nominal growth over the coming two years so the United Kingdom contributions will remain unchanged over this period at $300,000 annually.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Industry

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish (a) his industrial strategy and (b) consultation on industrial strategy.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Industrial Strategy is a critical part of the Government’s ambition to build an economy that works for everyone. We are working with British industry, local leaders, innovators, employees and consumers to deliver a successful strategy and build the conditions for future success.We’ve already taken real action to support industry, including the recent announcement of a £23 billion National Productivity Investment Fund, and will start consulting on wider industrial strategy proposals shortly.

Companies, Partnerships and Groups (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2015

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to maintain in force the Companies, Partnerships and Groups (Accounts and Non-Financial Reporting) Regulations 2016 after the UK leaves the EU.

Margot James: As our future relationship with the EU becomes more clear there will be an opportunity to examine whether certain aspects of company law are still appropriate and cost effective. Consequently we intend to keep the effect and purpose of company non-financial reporting requirements under review, including the requirements of the Companies, Partnerships and Groups (Accounts and Non-Financial Reporting) Regulations 2016.The UK’s company reporting regime is well regarded. We would expect that any review of this legislation would consider the possibility of burden reductions alongside the need to maintain the UK’s reputation as a hub of global transparency.

Energy Supply

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the public investment needed to maintain the UK's energy capacity in the next 20 years.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 15 December 2016



Our current energy pipeline, published in the National Infrastructure Plan 2016 which includes investment to 2030, suggests that £18bn (or 9%) of total investment is to be publicly funded, £177bn is to be privately funded, whilst a final £12bn of energy investment will be jointly funded by the private and public sectors.

Living Wage: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many people receive the national living wage in (a) Wales and (b) Newport East constituency.

Margot James: The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) estimates that 7.6% of employee jobs in Wales were paid up to 5p above (this is consistent with the Low Pay Commission’s approach) the National Living Wage rate in April 2016. Employee jobs are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed. Figures exclude employees whose pay for the survey pay period was affected by absence.ASHE is based on a 1% sample of jobs taken from HM Revenue and Customs' Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records. Consequently, individuals with more than one job may appear in the sample more than once. Activities of households as employers and extraterritorial organisations are excluded from this analysis.Apprentices aged 25 and above in their second year are included. We have not produced estimates for Newport East. However, ONS ASHE estimate that 10% of all employee jobs in Newport East Parliamentary Constituency were paid up to £7.20. This differs from BEIS’ analysis as it covers all employee jobs and not only those that attract the National Living Wage. Further information on ONS figures are available here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/placeofworkbyparliamentaryconstituencyashetable9

Water Power

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many water mills there are in the UK in (a) total, (b) fully working condition, (c) need of repair and (d) need of full rebuilding.

Jesse Norman: The Government does not keep data on water mills.The majority of hydro capacity in Great Britain was installed in Scotland in the first hydro revolution in the 1950s, with a smaller amount installed in Wales. The majority of these installations are still operating. In 2015, it was estimated that there were 1,065 operational plants with a capacity of 1,750 Megawatts, generating 6 Terawatt hours (equivalent to 1.8% of UK electricity supply)[1].The Government does not monitor the condition of existing hydro power plants in the UK. It is a business decision for companies to determine when to carry out repairs and refurbishments. [1] www.gov.uk/government/statistics/regional-renewable-statistics

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Pay

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average hourly earnings are of (a) female, (b) male, (c) BAME and (d) non-BAME employees of his Department.

Margot James: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) was created on 14 July 2016. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) were merged to create this new department. The median salaries for male and females in the table below are published on the Office for National Statistics website every October. This relates to information as at 31 March 2016.  BISDECCMale£39,630£48,900Female£35,410£36,160  The median salaries of BAME and non-BAME staff in the table below have been calculated using data as at October 2016. These figures reflect the different levels of seniority of the employees that have provided their ethnicity information. This information is declared by individual employees on a voluntary basis.  BISDECCBAME£32,090£36,142Non-BAME£48,192£49,420 Please note; the information supplied is based on staff working 36 or 37 hours a week (dependent on contract and location).

Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has for the implementation of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund; and how that fund will be funded.

Margot James: Yes, employees are represented on the Department’s board. The Permanent Secretary is a standing member of the Departmental Board, and meets with the Departmental Trade Unions as staff representatives. There are several other ways in which the views of employees of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are currently already taken into account by the Departmental Board and its supporting committees. The Board regularly discusses staff related matters, such as the Civil Service People Survey results which reflect the views of the Department’s employees, including views on the transition programme to create a new Department. The Department’s governance structure includes a People and Operations Committee, chaired by the Directors General responsible for People, Corporate Services and the transition programme. This Committee has standing representation from the HR Director and staff diversity networks as full members. Recommendations from the Committee are routinely taken to the Department’s Executive Committee for endorsement and approval. The composition of the Departmental Board is determined by Cabinet Office and HMT’s Corporate Governance in Central Government Departments: Code of Good practice (2011). Cabinet Office and HMT are currently in the process of refreshing this guidance to reflect current best practice. The Board also has external Non-Executive Board Members (NEBMs) as standing members. NEBMs provide external challenge and scrutiny and offer wider stakeholder views to the Board.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Pay

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to publish the gap in earnings between the (a) highest-paid and lowest-paid full-time employees in his Department and (b) highest-paid employees and average pay in his Department overall.

Margot James: Government departments do not publish details of the salary of their highest to lowest paid employees. The Office for National Statistics do, however, publish the salary ratio of highest to median earners for each Civil Service organization. These ratios are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics and can be found on the Office for National Statistics website: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016

Wind Power

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2016 to Question 50624, what the reason is for the discrepancy between figures given for the cost of onshore wind in the 2020s in his Department's Hinkley Point C Value for Money Assessment, published on 29 September 2016, with a cost of £49-90/MWh and Electricity Generation Costs report, published on 9 November 2016, with costs of £47-76/MWh in 2020 and £46-74/MWh in 2025.

Jesse Norman: The Electricity Generation Cost report outlines the ‘levelised cost’ of onshore wind. The levelised cost is a guide to the overall costs for the lifetime of an onshore wind project; by contrast, the cost estimates in the Hinkley Point C value for money assessment are ‘Strike Price Comparators’ which are not equivalent to levelised cost. In the value for money assessment, to make the levelised cost more comparable to the HPC Strike Price under the CfD contract, several adjustments were made: these included accounting for the lost generation from the transmission system, the cost of land and the relative difference in system balancing costs of onshore wind compared to nuclear. In addition, the running hours of onshore wind have been taken from a specific scenario where onshore wind was pursued in the absence of the HPC project.

Gratuities

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to respond to the evidence received by his Department's inquiry into tips, gratuities and service charges by the end of 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: The Government launched its consultation on tips, gratuities, service and cover charges to receive views on a range of actions to address issues associated with tipping practices. The Government’s objective is to ensure workers receive all discretionary payments for service, except those deductions required under tax law. The consultation is now closed and the responses are being considered. The Government Response will be published in due course.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Staff

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether there is a representative of his Department's employees on its departmental board; and what plans he has to provide for additional stakeholder representation on that board.

Margot James: Yes, employees are represented on the Department’s board. The Permanent Secretary is a standing member of the Departmental Board, and meets with the Departmental Trade Unions as staff representatives. There are several other ways in which the views of employees of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are currently already taken into account by the Departmental Board and its supporting committees. The Board regularly discusses staff related matters, such as the Civil Service People Survey results which reflect the views of the Department’s employees, including views on the transition programme to create a new Department. The Department’s governance structure includes a People and Operations Committee, chaired by the Directors General responsible for People, Corporate Services and the transition programme. This Committee has standing representation from the HR Director and staff diversity networks as full members. Recommendations from the Committee are routinely taken to the Department’s Executive Committee for endorsement and approval. The composition of the Departmental Board is determined by Cabinet Office and HMT’s Corporate Governance in Central Government Departments: Code of Good practice (2011). Cabinet Office and HMT are currently in the process of refreshing this guidance to reflect current best practice. The Board also has external Non-Executive Board Members (NEBMs) as standing members. NEBMs provide external challenge and scrutiny and offer wider stakeholder views to the Board.

Manufacturing Industries: Trade Competitiveness

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to expedite the Government's application to the European Commission to exempt energy intensive industries from the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation and small scale Feed-in Tariffs and ensure legislation is in place by April 2017.

Jesse Norman: We are engaging with the European Commission about our state aid pre-notification to move from compensation to exemption for the indirect cost of the Renewables Obligation (RO) and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs (FiT). We aim to introduce the exemption for Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) from 1 April 2017. The Government continues to provide relief to those EIIs most affected by the rising cost of electricity and has paid over £360m in compensation since August 2013.

Energy: Industry

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to secure contingency funding for the continuation of compensation for the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation and small scale Feed-in Tariffs for energy intensive industries beyond April 2017.

Jesse Norman: We aim to introduce an exemption for Energy Intensive Industries from the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs from 1 April 2017. It is not currently necessary to allocate contingency funding for the continuation of compensation beyond April 2017.

Databases: Standards

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that appropriate data standards for (a) the automotive sector and (b) other industries are in place to ensure security.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government published its new National Cyber Security Strategy on 1st November 2016. In it, the link between data security and our national prosperity was vividly highlighted.The strategy makes it clear that Government is committed to building a secure Internet and sets out an objective for “the majority of online products and services coming into use [to] become ‘secure by default’ by 2021.”In the case of connected and automated vehicles, Government believes they should be “secure by design”, both to ensure safety and the protection of data, which may include personal data. Government is working closely with industry and the relevant international bodies to achieve this as part of a much wider programme of activity to ensure public trust and acceptance of these technologies, which is vital to realising their significant potential benefits.

Digital Technology

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to promote literacy in digital skills within industries to help reduce the skills gap in digital manufacturing.

Mr Nick Hurd: We are taking action across the digital skills pipeline – from reforming the computing science curriculum to establishing a National Institute for Coding. In schools, we’ve announced £67 million for the next 5 years to recruit and train an extra 2,500 maths and physics teachers and upskill 15,000 existing maths and physics teachers.Higher Apprenticeships and Degree Apprenticeships are helping bring on the technical skills that manufacturers need, and we have seen a 35.5% increase in apprenticeship starts in the Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies sector subject area since 2010/11.There are 48 university technical colleges (UTCs) now open, providing high quality technical education for young people age 14-19, with a further 7 in development and a government commitment to establish a UTC within reach of every city.

Driverless Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations he has received on the use of data and cyber security for autonomous vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: Government believes connected and automated vehicles should be “secure by design”. Government is working closely with industry and the relevant international bodies to achieve this as part of a much wider programme of activity to ensure public trust and acceptance of these technologies, which is vital to realising their significant potential benefits.

UK Research and Innovation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how UK Research and Innovation will be accountable to (a) Parliament, (b) universities, (c) industry and (d) the research councils.

Joseph Johnson: The Higher Education and Research Bill and White Paper set out the high level framework for the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) governance and accountability system.Subject to the will of Parliament, UKRI will incorporate the Research Councils and it is our policy intent for the Executive Chairs of these Councils – along with the CEO, CFO and other senior directors of UKRI – to sit together on an Executive Committee, which will facilitate engagement with the UKRI Board and cross-council working.UKRI will be a Non-Departmental Public Body of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and will be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny as per good practice for such bodies and current practice with the Research Councils. The UKRI CEO will be accounting officer for the organisation and will be accountable for ensuring that UKRI operates within HM Treasury and Cabinet Office guidance. UKRI and its constituent Councils will draw on expertise from the business and research communities in identifying strategic opportunities, identifying opportunities for impact, partnership and alignment of activity.

Renewable Energy

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what meetings he or Ministers of his Department had with representatives of the renewable energy industry on the forthcoming Contracts for Difference auction before that auction was announced.

Jesse Norman: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State and Ministers regularly meet with representatives of the renewable energy industry to discuss a variety of issues. All Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on the gov.uk website at the following link:www.gov.uk/government/collections/decc-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-meetings-and-travel

Regulation: Codes of Practice

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of whether the Regulators Code has met the objectives set for it in those sectors where it has been implemented.

Margot James: The Regulators Code came into effect on 6 April 2014. It provides a clear framework for how regulators should undertake their duties. Although no formal assessment has been made, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has taken extensive views from business and is working collaboratively with regulators to support the improvements expected by the Code. A reporting duty on the effect of the Code will be commenced in due course.

Water Power

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of sustainable, renewable energy which can be generated from a water mill.

Jesse Norman: The level of electricity generation is dependent on the flow rate of the water and the difference in elevation between the intake and the outlet. Capacities for run of river plants tend to be below 2 Megawatts and more typically below 500 Kilowatts. Current UK hydro capacity is estimated at 1,750 Megawatts with further potential of around 1,000 Megawatts, mostly at small scale in remote locations.

Conditions of Employment: EU Law

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to include provision in the Great Repeal Bill to transpose all EU case law affecting workers' rights into UK law.

Margot James: The Government intends to bring all existing EU law in this area, including case law, under UK law at the point of exit through the Great Repeal Bill.

Ministry of Defence

Veterans: Unemployment

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the level of unemployment of former armed service personnel.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 October 2016 to Question 46795 to the hon. Member for East Renfrewshire (Kirsten Oswald).http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-10-07/46795/



46795 - WQnA extract on Veterans Employment
(Word Document, 16.44 KB)

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the F35B Lightning II's progress in flight sciences testing in 2016.

Harriett Baldwin: The flight sciences test programme is making good progress and the F-35B programme remains on track to deliver initial operating capability for the UK by the end of 2018.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the likelihood that the F35B Lightning II will achieve full Block 3F combat capability within the current timetable.

Harriett Baldwin: Block 3F is the capability standard that the UK will use to declare initial operating capability for the UK F-35B. This remains on schedule for the end of 2018.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department expects testing on the Autonomous Logistics Information System version 2.0.2 for the F35B Lightning II to be completed.

Harriett Baldwin: Testing for Autonomous Logistics Information System version 2.0.2 is expected to be complete by February 2017.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department expects testing on the F35B Lightning II's gun pod to be completed.

Harriett Baldwin: Testing and certification of the F-35B Lightning's gun pod, for use on UK aircraft, is expected to be completed as part of the next Block upgrade programme, Block 4.

Ministry of Defence: Staff

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to include worker representation on its departmental board.

Sir Michael Fallon: I refer the Hon. Member to the oral statement on the Corporate Governance Green Paper of 29 November 2016, Official Report, Column 1408.



Oral Statement on Corporate Governance
(Word Document, 16.47 KB)

Iraq: Armed Conflict

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the safety of civilians in Mosul.

Mike Penning: The Government continues to work closely with partners and allies supporting the Iraqi-led campaign to drive out Daesh from Mosul, stressing the requirement to protect civilians and minimise suffering. The UK has recently committed £90 million of humanitarian assistance for Iraq with a particular focus on Mosul, taking its total commitment to £169.5 million since June 2014. A substantial element of this new assistance is supporting partners responding to the situation in Mosul. Regarding the UK's contribution to the coalition air campaign, the Ministry of Defence takes all feasible precautions to minimise the risk of civilian casualties through strict targeting procedures, as we do when conducting any form of military operation.

Iron and Steel: Procurement

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will report on the proportion of UK steel that has been procured through contracts in the last 12 months.

Harriett Baldwin: Defence requirements for steel are in the main sourced by our prime contractors taking into account cost, time and quality. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not therefore hold a complete central record of the origin of steel used in defence projects over the past 12 months. UK suppliers have, however, made a significant contribution to the supply of steel for defence, including some 88% of the structural steel for the new Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers.Moving forward, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will collate data about Government steel use and compliance with the updated procurement policy, including defence. The MOD has submitted an initial return for the period February to July 2016, which has been passed to the Steel Council. This will be updated regularly.The Government has also now published its future pipeline for steel requirements, which will enable UK steel manufacturers to better plan and bid for Government contracts. The pipeline, together with the updated procurement policy, is published on gov.uk at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-1116-procuring-steel-in-major-projects-revised-guidance.

Middle East: Military Intervention

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what effect staffing levels in the RAF are having on UK commitments in Iraq and Syria.

Mike Penning: Staffing levels in the RAF are not affecting the UK commitments in Iraq and Syria. The RAF has sufficient personnel to meet its operational requirements.

Defence: Procurement

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure equality of opportunity for construction firms in Northern Ireland to apply for defence contracts.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on steps to ensure equality of opportunity for companies in Northern Ireland to bid for defence procurement contracts.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) regularly engages with devolved administrations and with industry, including companies from Northern Ireland, such as through the Defence Suppliers Forum. Companies in Northern Ireland are afforded the same opportunities to bid for, and to be awarded defence contracts, as companies in other parts of the UK or overseas.Future tender and contract opportunities with a value of over £10,000, and the timetables for them, are advertised through Defence Contracts On-line, which can be found at the link MOD-DCO at www.contracts.mod.uk and on the Government's Contracts Finder portal, at the link Contracts Finder at www.gov.uk.

Type 26 Frigates

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure the maximum UK steel content in Type 26 frigates currently being procured.

Harriett Baldwin: The steel supplier for the Type 26 programme is being selected by BAE Systems through open competition. UK suppliers will have every opportunity to compete for this work.In line with Government guidelines on steel procurement for major projects, early market engagement has already taken place for the Type 26 steel requirement. A number of companies, including UK suppliers, have expressed an interest and formal bids are expected early in 2017.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Coastal Areas: Economic Growth

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the recommendations of the New Economics Foundation's Blue New Deal Action Plan, published in November 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Percy: I refer the hon Member to the Answer given to question 56130 by my hon Friend the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility on the 8th December 2016.

Accommodation Agencies

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that private letting agencies do not (a) transfer costs to landlords and (b) redefine tenant fees.

Gavin Barwell: The Government is keen to see tenants receiving a good service from their landlord and letting agent and that is why we announced in the Autumn Statement a ban on letting agent fees paid by tenants in England. This will support better competition in the market and bring down overall costs. Tenants will be better able to search around for properties that suit their budget and there will be no hidden costs. This may be preferable to tenants being hit with upfront charges that can be difficult for them to afford. The Government will consult in the New Year on the detail of how best to implement a ban.

Community Relations

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the British values are, as referred to in the Casey Review: a review into opportunity and integration, published on 5 December 2016.

Mr Marcus Jones: As the then Home Secretary explained in her speech of 23 rd March 2015, British values – such as regard for the rule of law, participation in and acceptance of democracy, equality, free speech and respect for minorities – are supported by the overwhelming majority of British people. They are sustained by our most important local and national institutions. And they are the means by which we have made our multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious society succeed.

Coastal Areas: Economic Growth

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on coastal communities of the recommendations contained in the New Economics Foundation's Blue New Deal Action Plan, published in November 2016.

Andrew Percy: I refer my hon Friend to the answer given to question 56130 by my hon Friend the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility on the 8th December 2016.

Coastal Areas: Regeneration

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support sustainable economic regeneration in coastal communities; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Percy: The Government has provided £1.18 million to help establish 118 Coastal Community Teams along the English coast to empower local communities to drive forward sustainable economic development and regeneration in coastal towns. Every team has prepared an Economic Plan setting out both short term and longer term priorities to promote jobs and growth. I will shortly be announcing more than 20 new Coastal Community Teams.We are also supporting coastal communities across the UK to deliver sustainable growth and jobs through the Coastal Communities Fund. By 2017 the Fund will have invested £125 million in over 200 projects UK-wide, including £92 million invested in England. This is helping to create or safeguard over 18,000 jobs and attract over £200 million in public/ private sector co-funding.We have identified at least a further £90 million to support more Coastal Community Fund projects between 2017 and 2021. We expect to announce the successful projects from the latest competitive bidding round (Round 4) by Spring 2017.The Local Growth Fund is also providing support to coastal communities in England through Growth Deal funding for coastal Local Enterprise Partnerships. Growth Deals for the third round of funding are still being finalised and will be announced in the new year.

Housing: Older People

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the health benefits of retirement housing and its potential in reducing local authority adult social care bills.

Mr Marcus Jones: Ministers and officials from both departments meet when necessary to discuss a range of issues of interest to both departments.Older people have a wide range of different housing needs, ranging from suitable and appropriately located market housing through to residential institutions and we are clear in the National Planning Policy Framework that councils should plan for a mix of housing, based on the needs of different groups in the community, including older people. We strengthened planning guidance last year to reinforce our expectations.Housing is an important element to people's health and wellbeing and provision of suitable housing can and does play a role within the wider integration of health and social care to which we are committed.

Local Government Finance

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2016 to Question 52707, on local government finance, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the £150 million transition grant in achieving its aims.

Mr Marcus Jones: The explanatory note on the method of allocation of the Transition Grant for 2016/17 makes clear that the grant is being provided to authorities to ease the change from a system based on central government grant to one in which local sources determine a council’s revenue by compensating them in direct proportion to the difference between the old methodology and new methodology. The allocations are in exact proportion to this difference and so the grant achieves its aim.

Council Tax: Arrears

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households in council tax arrears in each of the last five years.

Mr Marcus Jones: This is a matter for local authorities.

Council Tax: Arrears

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department holds information on the number of times that bailiffs have been used in cases of council tax arrears in each of the last five years.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department does not hold this information.

Housing: Construction

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of timber-framed construction in the Government's plans to increase housebuilding.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of newly built homes of timber-frame construction have been built in each of the last five years.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with representatives of the UK timber and wood panel industries on the role UK wood products could play in housebuilding.

Gavin Barwell: The vast majority of new homes in England are built using traditional brick-and-mortar methods. In its Housing Market Report in October, the National House Building Council stated that timber frame's market share at registration in each of the last five years was as follows:2011: 13%2012: 10%2013: 9%2014: 8%2015: 9%To increase housing supply, we need a diversified housing market where all firms embrace innovation to become more productive and deliver a better product to the consumer. It is not for government to endorse one building technique or material, including timber frame, over another, as long as building standards are met.Instead, we are encouraging market diversification and promoting the use of modern methods of construction through our housing and planning programmes, including Affordable Homes 2016-21, Build to Rent and Housing Zones, and through our National Planning Practice Guidance.In October, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government launched the Home Building Fund, which aims to provide further support to builders using modern methods of construction, in addition to custom builders, small and medium-sized builders, and new entrants to the market.The Secretary of State and I often meet developers and housebuilders, including those who build homes using traditional methods and those who use modern methods of construction, as well as visiting offsite factories and developments where modern methods of construction are used.

HM Treasury

Tax Evasion

Richard Fuller: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax avoidance cases HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has settled prior to litigation in each of the last five years; and how many of those cases were settled (a) wholly or (b) in part in HMRC's favour.

Jane Ellison: HM Revenue and Customs settles thousands of enquiries every year, including enquiries into tax avoidance, in line with the Litigation and Settlement Strategy. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/litigation-and-settlement-strategy-lss. Detailed records of avoidance cases taken to litigation are maintained, however, not in a format that enables the information requested to be provided.

Construction: Self-employed

Michelle  Thomson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps are being taken to prevent cases of false self-employment in the construction industry.

Jane Ellison: The Government introduced legislation in Finance Act 2014 to tackle false self-employment arising through intermediaries. Where there is control over the worker, as a result of the legislation, an intermediary has to operate PAYE and pay National Insurance Contributions. It was estimated that this would lead to 200,000 workers being correctly treated as employed. Since April 2015, intermediaries also have to submit a quarterly electronic return if they have made payments to a worker without deductions under PAYE. The first returns were made to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in July and November 2015, and HMRC is using the information to tackle false self-employment through intermediaries.

Migrant Workers

John Penrose: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the effect on (a) per capita GDP and (b) overall productivity of changes in the migrant share of the adult population.

Simon Kirby: As noted in the 2012 report by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), the empirical literature suggests that the impact of migration on aggregate productivity may be mixed and heavily dependent on the type of migrant coming to the UK. Migrants may increase productivity either through a simple ‘batting average’ effect if they work in higher productivity roles relative to the average for non-migrants, or through increasing the productivity of UK workers through greater specialisation and knowledge transfer. In this report, the MAC established the key role played by skilled migrants in raising productivity. Further, the 2014 MAC report, ‘Migrants in low-skilled work’, found low skilled migrants have a neutral impact on UK-born employment rates, GDP per head and productivity.

Sports: Clubs

Oliver Dowden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many amateur sports clubs have lost their community amateur sports club status since 2002.

Jane Ellison: Since 2002, 1,172 sports clubs have been deregistered as community amateur sports clubs.

Taxation: Rebates

John Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the Government has had to pay in tax rebates since the 2012 Franked Investment Income judgment.

Jane Ellison: Two judgments in the Franked Investment Income Group Litigation Order case were handed down in 2012, by the UK Supreme Court on 23 May and by the Court of Justice of the European Union on 13 November. Since those decisions, HM Revenue and Customs has made payments of £1,490,455,098 less tax withheld under the restitution interest provisions introduced by Finance (No.2) Act 2015 of £324,402,752, a net sum of £1,166,052,346.

Telecommunications: Finance

Alan Brown: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to table 2.1, line 10 of the Autumn Statement 2016, how the funding for telecoms will be allocated across the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: The Autumn Statement 2016 announced over £1 billion to be invested in digital communications. This includes £400 million for a new Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund, with investment decisions to be made by an independent fund manager on a commercial basis. Details about how local areas can access funding for 5G trials and local fibre rollout will be set out in due course.

Manufacturing Industries: Trade Competitiveness

Nic Dakin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to provide contingency funding for the continuation of compensation for the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation and small scale Feed-in Tariffs for energy intensive industries beyond April 2017.

Mr David Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him today by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Industry and Energy to Question (57425).

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme: Northern Ireland

Mr David Anderson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether there will be an overspend on the Northern Ireland block grant from the Renewable Heating Incentive over the lifetime of the scheme.

Mr David Gauke: The Treasury sets an allocation related to the costs of the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme in the Northern Ireland Executive’s Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) budget, proportionate to the budgets set in AME for the departments which manage the schemes in Great Britain. Any costs in excess of this AME budget are managed by the Northern Ireland Executive from its block grant or other sources of funding available to it.

Child Care Tax Credit

Tulip Siddiq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost to the public purse has been of the childcare element of working tax credits in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison: The cost of the childcare element of working tax credits from 2010-11 onwards is available from Table 3.2 from HM Revenue and Customs' Child and Working Tax Credits statistics: finalised annual awards National Statistics publications, available at : https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-tax-credits-statistics These have been summarised in the table below:Annualised entitlement of childcare element (in £ million) YearSinglesCouplesTotal2010-119575911,5482011-127584591,2172012-137054161,1212013-147604071,1672014-157934011,194

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many families have registered a tax-free childcare account in anticipation of that scheme opening in 2017.

Mr David Gauke: Tax-Free Childcare will be gradually rolled out to parents from early 2017. There is no requirement for parents to pre-register for a Tax-Free Childcare account.

Department for International Trade

Fisheries: Norway

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he discussed the future of the UK fishing industry with the Norwegian Foreign Minister during his recent visit to the UK.

Greg Hands: I refer the hon Member for Great Grimsby to the answer I gave her on 12 December, UIN: 56446.

Business: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many representatives of businesses in the West Midlands he has met since his Department was created; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Garnier: Ministers constantly meet with businesses and representatives from across the UK, including the West Midlands, and will continue to do so.The export of goods increased last quarter in the West Midlands by 17.8% compared to the same quarter the previous year, which was the second highest increase across all English regions. The count of exporters also rose by 3.4% to 11, 801 in the same period.

Trade Agreements

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many specialist trade negotiators are employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade already has a strong and capable trade policy team, which has more than doubled in size since 23 June and is continuing to grow. Over the coming months, we will be developing the Trade Policy team, to build the world class negotiating strengths needed, to deliver the best outcomes for the UK. They will have the depth and breadth of expertise to handle the full range of sectoral and cross-cutting issues that arise in trade agreements, supported by analysts and lawyers. We will continue to hire the brightest and best talent from within the UK civil service and, in time, will look to enhance our team, by drawing on expertise from elsewhere.

World Trade Organisation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many civil servants in his Department are working full-time with the World Trade Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: In the Department for International Trade, there are nine civil servants working full-time on matters related to the World Trade Organisation. They are supported by officials working in other Departments, including the Department for Exiting the European Union, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Department for International Trade: Consultants

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many third party (a) consultants and (b) consultancy companies his Department plans to commission; and what the cost to the public purse of such commissioning will be in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018, (iii) 2019 and (iv) 2020.

Greg Hands: The Prime Minister announced the creation of the Department for International Trade on the 13 July 2016. The budget for the new Department is being finalised and will be set out in the Supplementary Estimate.We are currently establishing whether we need to call upon external support as part of the internal planning round for the 17/18 Financial Year.

Department for International Trade: Consultants

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many third party (a) consultants and (b) consulting companies have been commissioned by his Department since it was established; and what the cost to the public purse of such commissioning has been.

Greg Hands: The Prime Minister announced the creation of the Department for International Trade (DIT) on the 14th July 2016. I refer the hon Member for Tottenham to the answer I gave to the hon Member for Hornsey and Wood Green on 17 October, UIN47214, for details of the consulting companies the Department has made use of since it was established. Since that answer was provided, UK Export Finance (UKEF) has used SFW Ltd for consultancy services for an “Electronic Document Management” review (£15,736k) and ANSEC IA Ltd for an “Information Assurance” review (£22,900). UKEF’s costs are on-going service delivery costs which are not connected with machinery of government changes. DIT and UK Export Finance will be publishing Workforce Management Information, which details the number and cost of non-payroll staff, those classed as contingent labour consultants and consultancy on:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=Workforce+Management+Information&publication_filter_option=transparency-data&topics%5B%5D=all&departments%5B%5D=all&official_document_status=all&world_locations%5B%5D=all&from_date=&to_date=

Department for International Trade: Equal Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans his Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade (DIT) has a statutory requirement to publish information on the gender pay gap amongst its employees under the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties, Gender Pay Gap Information and Public Authorities) Regulations 2016, which come into force on 6 April 2017. The information will be published no later than 4 April 2018 as required by the Regulations. DIT and UK Export Finance will publish their information separately on their respective gov.uk sites.

Department for International Trade: North of England

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to page 21 of the Northern Powerhouse Strategy, published in November 2016, when his Department plans to put in place sector and infrastructure and regeneration specialists in the north of England; and in which areas such specialists will be located.

Mark Garnier: We have recruited four sector specialists who are located across the North of England and are focussing on the prime and enabling sectors identified in the Independent Economic Review conducted by Transport for the North. A fifth specialist will join the team in February. Two property and infrastructure specialist have been recruited and are in place in the North of England. A recruitment exercise is underway to fill a third, recently vacant, position.

Women and Equalities

Gender Recognition Certificates

Kevin Foster: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the six-month validity period for Gender Recognition Certificates will be reviewed as part of the commitment to review the Gender Recognition Act 2004.

Caroline Dinenage: We have committed to a review of the Gender Recognition Act to streamline and demedicalise the gender recognition process. We have begun our programme of work on reviewing the gender recognition process, and we will provide an update on the Government’s progress in 2017.

Government Equalities Office: Pay

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the average hourly earnings are of her Department's (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees.

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the average hourly earnings are of (a) female and (b) male employees of the Government Equalities Office.

Caroline Dinenage: The table below shows the average hourly earnings of the Department for Education (DfE) staff, including the Government Equalities Office (GEO) staff, by a) female b) male c) BME and d) non-BME.Average Earnings of DfE Staff (including GEO) Nov-16Female£20.61Male£21.97BME£18.98Non-BME£21.93 The following table shows the average hourly earnings of GEO staff by a) female and b) male.Average earnings of GEO Staff Nov-16Female£24.11Male£25.10 The Department and GEO records earnings as annual salaries. In order to convert the annual salaries to hourly rates the following calculation has been used: ((Gross Basic Salary*FTE)/52)/Weekly hours.The pay gap is lower when analysed at grade level for men and women and BME and non-BME. The gaps can be largely attributed to the fact that is greater proportions of women and BME staff of the lower pay bands.

Staff: Surveys

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether there is an annual survey of staff in the (a) Government Equalities Office and (b) Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government Equalities Office takes part in the annual Civil Service People Survey within the Department for Education. The Department’s results for 2016 were published on GOV.UK on Tuesday 6 December.The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an independent body and is responsible for its own staff management, including conducting surveys of its staff. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive of the Commission to write to the Hon. Member with the information requested and will place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

Department for Transport

Rolling Stock

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the economic effect on the (a) South West region and (b) UK of the lack of new rolling stock available to train companies; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: The Government and the private sector has continued to invest in new rolling stock in the South West and in other regions to provide improved services for passengers. The market for new rolling stock in the UK has become increasingly vibrant in recent years, with a number of manufacturers competing to provide new rolling stock to the UK’s train operating companies. Train operators are not seeing a shortage of train manufacturing companies or financiers offering new rolling stock for the UK’s rail network.Over 1,900 new vehicles were ordered in 2016 alone. Great Western Railway are acquiring 29 brand new bi-mode trains to operate services to the South West of England. Nationally passengers will see over 5,000 new vehicles delivered to operators between now and the end of 2020.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2016 to Question 56154, which local authorities have received funding allocated in the Autumn Statement 2016 from the Pothole Action Fund; and how much each such local authority has received.

Andrew Jones: On Monday 28 November the Secretary of State for Transport announced further details of the additional funding announced in the 2016 Autumn Statement. The roads funding package document sets out the further roads funding that the government is committed to delivering in this Parliament and includes a full breakdown by local authority of the 2017/18 allocations of the Pothole Action Fund.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-roads-funding-package

Large Goods Vehicles

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the evaluation of the longer semi-trailer trial: annual report 2015, published in August 2016, whether the information supplied by haulage operators on minor injuries and damage to street furniture arising from longer semi-trailers has been independently verified.

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the evaluation of the longer semi-trailer trial; annual report 2015, published in August 2016, what independent research has been carried out on the crashes and incidents affecting longer semi-trailers that were logged in the September 2016 trial report.

Mr John Hayes: The entire trial evaluation is being carried out by an independent consultant, Risk Solutions which collects the data, liaise with the operators and analyse the results before reporting to the Department for Transport. The annual reports produced by Risk Solutions are published by the Department without further editing. Risk Solutions maintains its independence strongly, reviews major departmental statements regarding the trial and results and challenges wording or claims strongly if they are not fully supported by the evidence. All injuries reported by the operators, including minor/slight injuries, are checked against the national STATS19 data, which is collated from submissions by police forces. Risk Solutions has details of a very small number of incidents involving very minor injuries reported by the operator or by the injured party, but where the police did not attend and the injured party did not attend hospital. These are incidents which, had they involved standard trailers, would not have been reported or counted in any official data, but have been included in the LST trial injury statistics. Studying incidents where there is no injury (and hence no police report) is challenging since there is no national standard process or format for recording such events. Any study of such incidents for longer semi-trailers (LSTs) requires that there also be a comparative dataset for non-injury incidents involving other long, articulated HGVs. Risk Solutions engaged with a small sample of operators to analyse their in-house data on all incidents to see whether LSTs were over or under-represented in the data. The results from that exercise are explained in the latest annual report. Risk Solutions are currently engaging with a larger sample of operators to expand this dataset and anticipate publishing those results in the next annual report.

Large Goods Vehicles

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the evaluation of the longer semi-trailer trial: annual report 2015, published in August 2016, what roads are being used by longer semi-trailers; and what the mileage is of such trailers on minor and urban roads.

Mr John Hayes: The original trial terms of reference and operator undertaking issued in 2011 did not place a requirement on participating companies to track the exact movements of each Longer Semi Trailer (LST) or to log routes taken. When the trial started in 2012 GPS tracking was a new technology and to have placed such a tracking requirement on the operators would have been considered an unreasonable burden on the industry and would probably have excluded smaller operators from participating, limiting the coverage and value of the trial. The expectation across the industry has always been that compared with other long articulated HGVs, LSTs would be likely to operate a greater proportion of their journeys on major roads, performing trunking duties. This is supported by the leg type use charts in the Annual Report, but is not ‘proven’. During 2015, DfT and Risk Solutions looked into the options for studying LST routing by road types including sampling of the part of the fleet that is fitted with trailer GPS, backfitting the entire fleet (or those not currently fitted) with trailer GPS, or modelling the ‘likely’ routing of LSTs using the origin and destination data already provided in the trial data submissions. Modelling the likely route was chosen because it would effectively provide an insight into the balance of road types used by LSTs at a reasonable cost to the taxpayer, while minimising the additional burden on the industry. After a feasibility study in late 2015, the trial data requirement was adjusted to make journey start/end postcodes a requested item for 2016-P1 (Jan-May) and mandatory thereafter. Operators have responded well to this requirement and Risk Solutions have start/end postcode data for more than 90% of all LST journeys) to date in 2016.

Railways

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the Growth Track 360 proposals on rail improvements; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: I welcome the publication of the North Wales and Mersey Dee Rail Task Force’s ‘Growth Track 360’ prospectus, which sets out an ambitious programme of desirable improvements to rail infrastructure in North Wales and across the border into the North West of England. My officials have met with representatives from the Task Force to advise them on a suitable approach to developing their initial proposals. I now look to the Task Force to take forward prioritisation of the most promising options for enhancing the railways in North Wales against clear local and regional objectives, and to identify possible funding.

Network Rail: Industrial Disputes

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2016 to Question 55987, on what dates (a) his and (b) predecessor departments received force majeure claims from train operating companies in relation to industrial action by Network Rail employees since 2000-01 to date; and what the outcome was in each such case.

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2016 to Question 55987, on what dates (a) his and (b) predecessor departments received force majeure claims from train operating companies in relation to an act of God since January 1996; and what the outcome was in each such case.

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2016 to Question 55987, on what dates (a) his and (b) predecessor departments received force majeure claims from train operating companies in relation to civil emergency since January 1996; and what the outcome was in each such case.

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2016 to Question 55987, on what dates (a) his and (b) predecessor departments received force majeure claims from train operating companies in relation to suicide or attempted suicide since January 1996; and what the outcome was in each such case.

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2016 to Question 55987, on what dates (a) his and (b) predecessor departments received force majeure claims from train operating companies in relation to rolling stock safety since January 1996; and what the outcome was in each such case.

Paul Maynard: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

British Indian Ocean Territory: Fines

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2016 to Question 54666, how many fines have been issued to those caught damaging buildings in the British Indian Ocean Territory for each year in the last 30 years for which records are available; and what the (a) individual and (b) total amount of such fines was in each such year.

Sir Alan Duncan: Records of fines in the Territory only date back to 2013. There have been no fines issued for the damage of property during this time. In 2014 a building on Diego Garcia was damaged. The perpetrators paid for the repairs and so were not prosecuted.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sure

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2016 to Question 54664, when the contract between Sure telecoms and the British Indian Ocean Territory Administration was agreed; when that contract will next be tendered for; and what the value is of that contract.

Sir Alan Duncan: The licence to own and operate internal communications services from Diego Garcia was granted to Cable & Wireless in 1982 (subsequently Batelco / Sure in 2013, following a corporate split of Cable & Wireless, then purchased by Batelco) and provides a five year notice of termination. The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Commissioner served notice of termination to Sure in March 2014, after which the BIOT Administration will be reprocuring the licence. The value of the licence is commercially sensitive.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Piracy

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the risk of piracy in the waters of the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Sir Alan Duncan: While there have been no attacks around the waters of the British Indian Ocean Territory, piracy is a significant threat in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, and has occurred as far as 1,000 nautical miles from the coast of Somalia. We undertake regular assessments of potential criminal activity in the territorial waters of the British Indian Ocean Territory in order to ensure that we retain an appropriate level of capability.

South Korea: Dogs

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to the South Korean government on implications of the South Korean dog meat trade for countries due to participate in the next Winter Olympics.

Alok Sharma: I raised the issue of South Korea's dog meat trade with the South Korean Ambassador on 12 September. As I said during the Westminster Hall debate on the dog meat trade in South Korea on 12 September, high-profile global events such as the Olympic Games can be a catalyst for positive change. The South Korean government will be aware that the high profile of the Winter Games could cast a spotlight on issues such as the dog meat trade.

South Korea: Corruption

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the South Korean authorities on transparency in dealing with allegations of corruption.

Alok Sharma: Discussions on transparency and corruption have formed part of our bilateral dialogue with the Republic of Korea. The Kim Young Ran Law, introduced earlier this year in South Korea and aimed at curbing excesses of hospitality and gift-giving, used the UK’s Bribery Act as a reference. This followed collaboration between the UK and the Korean authorities, including Korea’s Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC). Future plans include the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Serious Fraud Office and Korea’s Supreme Prosecutor’s Office on enhancing cooperation. Projects aimed at helping businesses and media stakeholders in Korea tackle corruption are also using British anti-corruption standards as guidance.

South Korea: Dogs

Oliver Dowden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the South Korean government on dog meat trade in that country.

Alok Sharma: We will continue to raise this issue with the South Korean government and I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Coventry South (Mr Cunningham), on 20 September 2016 to Question 46043.

Iran: Civil Liberties

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of freedom of (a) religion and belief and (b) association in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The human rights situation in Iran remains of serious concern. Members of religious minorities continue to face severe restrictions. The same is true for freedom of association. The latest report of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran highlights the insufficient protections on the independence of political, professional and labour groups and in particular notes serious concern regarding the targeting, arrest and prosecution of labour union activists.The UK calls on Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow rights and freedoms to which all its citizens are entitled.

Gambia: Elections

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has contacted (a) President Yahya Jammeh and (b) his counterpart in the government of the Gambia since the recent general election in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK welcomes the successful conduct of the elections in The Gambia on 1 December, and congratulates the Gambian people on the orderly and legitimate expression of their desire for change. As the Minister responsible for Africa, I spoke directly to the President-elect, Mr Adama Barrow, last week, to congratulate him on his victory and to offer the UK's support. But we are deeply concerned by President Jammeh's recent rejection of the elections' clear and legitimate result and strongly condemn any attempt to disrupt the peaceful, constitutional transfer of power. We welcome the clear, unified statement of the UN Security Council on 10 December calling for the results to be respected, as well as the efforts of the Economic Community Of West African States to impress on President Jammeh the need to respect the will of the people and ensure a peaceful handover of power to President-elect Barrow.

Cameroon: Demonstrations

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the government of Cameroon on finding a peaceful and satisfactory solution to end protests by teachers and lawyers in the north-west and south-west English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The British High Commission in Yaoundé is following the situation closely and has called for restraint and encouraged dialogue. The High Commissioner chaired a meeting with the US, French, Canadians and the EU on 1 December to discuss this matter. The UK supports the independent investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms into the violence and deaths in Bamenda. The UK believes that all parties have a responsibility to uphold and protect the peace and stability of Cameroon and that legal and peaceful means should be used to voice any grievances. The violence has abated and we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution of this matter.

Cameroon: Strikes

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the government of Cameroon on reported use of force by security forces during strikes by teachers and lawyers in the north-west and south-west English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The British High Commission in Yaoundé is following the situation closely and has called for restraint and encouraged dialogue. The High Commissioner chaired a meeting with the US, French, Canadians and the EU on 1 December to discuss this matter. The UK supports the independent investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms into the violence and deaths in Bamenda. The UK believes that all parties have a responsibility to uphold and protect the peace and stability of Cameroon and that legal and peaceful means should be used to voice any grievances. The violence has abated and we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution of this matter.

Cameroon: Strikes

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the government of Cameroon on strikes by teachers and lawyers in the north-west and south-west English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The British High Commission in Yaoundé is following the situation closely and has called for restraint and encouraged dialogue. The High Commissioner chaired a meeting with the US, French, Canadians and the EU on 1 December to discuss this matter. The UK supports the independent investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms into the violence and deaths in Bamenda. The UK believes that all parties have a responsibility to uphold and protect the peace and stability of Cameroon and that legal and peaceful means should be used to voice any grievances. The violence has abated and we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution of this matter.

Cameroon: Courts

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the government of Cameroon on French-speaking judges presiding in courts in the English-speaking north-west and south-west regions of Cameroon.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The British High Commission in Yaoundé is following the situation closely and has called for restraint and encouraged dialogue. The High Commissioner chaired a meeting with the US, French, Canadians and the EU on 1 December to discuss this matter. The UK supports the independent investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms into the violence and deaths in Bamenda. The UK believes that all parties have a responsibility to uphold and protect the peace and stability of Cameroon and that legal and peaceful means should be used to voice any grievances. The violence has abated and we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution of this matter.

Cameroon: Demonstrations

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Cameroon on reported injuries and deaths of protestors during strikes by teachers and lawyers in December 2016 in the north-west and south-west English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The British High Commission in Yaoundé is following the situation closely and has called for restraint and encouraged dialogue. The High Commissioner chaired a meeting with the US, French, Canadians and the EU on 1 December to discuss this matter. The UK supports the independent investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms into the violence and deaths in Bamenda. The UK believes that all parties have a responsibility to uphold and protect the peace and stability of Cameroon and that legal and peaceful means should be used to voice any grievances. The violence has abated and we hope for a swift and peaceful resolution of this matter.

Gambia: Elections

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of (a) the security situation and (b) state of democracy in the Gambia following reports that Gambian security forces have taken over electoral commission headquarters and have prevented employees from entering.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Reports that Gambian security forces loyal to President Jammeh have taken over the offices of Independent Election Commission (IEC) are a real cause for concern. Tensions remain high following President Jammeh's legal challenge to the Supreme Court to annul the election results and the increased military checkpoints on the streets. We have urged all regional and international partners to continue to impress on Mr Jammeh that he must respect the will of the people and ensure a peaceful handover of power to President-elect Barrow and the incoming Government.

Gambia: Elections

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has discussed the outcome of the Gambian general election with the (a) UK's permanent representative, (b) Chinese Ambassador, (c) US Ambassador, (d) Russian Ambassador and (e) French Ambassador to the UN.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We welcome the clear, unified statement of the UN Security Council on 10 December calling for the Gambian election results to be respected, as well as the efforts of Economic Community Of West African States to impress on President Jammeh the need to respect the will of the people and ensure a peaceful handover of power to President-elect Barrow. The UK is working with all international partners at the UN to ensure the democratic will of the Gambian people is enacted in a peaceful manner. The UK's permanent representative to the UN is engaged on the current situation in The Gambia.

Mohamed Ramadan

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has received on the death sentence of Mohammed Ramadan in Bahrain.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our Embassy in Bahrain continute to closely monitor Mohammed Ramadan's case. We also continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments. We have raised concerns both in public and in private, by having frank discussions including at the most senior levels. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) was very clear during her recent visit that we want to see Gulf states embed international norms and see through essential reforms.

Egypt: Bombings

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the Egyptian government on the recent Coptic church bomb attack in Cairo.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Follwoing the bombing of the El-Boutrosiya Church in Cairo, the Prime Minister wrote a letter to the Egyptian President to convey her condolences to the victims families, as well as to the Egyptian people. Additionally, the Foreign Secretary spoke to the Egyptian Foreign Minister to express his sympathy and reiterate the UK's resolve to stand united with Egypt in defence of its people's right to live together in peace.The British Government continues to collaborate with the Egyptian Government on a wide range of issues, including security and counter-terrosrism.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Indonesian government on the trial of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the Governor of Jakarta.

Alok Sharma: The Government of Indonesia has confirmed that Governor Purnama will be prosecuted in accordance with Indonesian law. The UK Government remains a keen supporter of human rights in Indonesia, and it will be important that Governor Purnama’s trial is conducted to international standards and that his rights are respected in accordance with the rule of law. Our Embassy in Jakarta will continue to monitor the situation closely

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Crimes of Violence

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department has provided to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women in each year since 2010.

James Wharton: The UK has supported the Fund since 2014 providing £2 million in 2014, £2.25 million in 2015 and £3.75 million in 2016. This support helps to fund local organisations across the world to tackle violence against women, improve access to services such as legal assistance and healthcare, and strengthen laws that protect women and girls.

Developing Countries: HIV Infection

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will undertake a review of its HIV programmes to assess the progress made on the Government's global strategy on HIV and AIDS.

James Wharton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided on 7 November to Question numbers 51481 and 51482.

Department for Education

Apprentices

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2016 to Question 49486, on apprentices, what plans she has to provide extra support for ex-offenders.

Robert Halfon: We are committed to making sure that apprenticeships are as accessible as possible, to all people, from all backgrounds. Delivering more apprenticeships, of better quality, will ensure that more people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to progress. Ex-offenders are given anonymity so apprentice job applicants do not need to tell potential employers about spent convictions or cautions. Where eligible, ex-offenders can benefit from the extra payments announced in October for 16-18 year olds and 19-24 year olds formerly in care or with an Education, Health and Care Plan. Employers and providers will receive a payment of £1,000 to support additional costs associated with these apprentices. Additionally, the Government will make an additional payment to providers for training an apprentice who lives in an area amongst the 27% most deprived. We are also trialling a two year project worth £2 million per year tailoring Access to Work support to apprentices with mental health problems in the workplace from which some ex-offenders could benefit.

Department for Education: Third Sector

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department uses to allocate funding to the voluntary and charitable sector; and if she will publish those criteria and any scoring system that they support.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department’s grant and procurement policy are aligned and adhere to the recently published Government Grant Standards and the Commercial Operating Standards. Both determine that the Department will compete by default - including in relation to VCSE organisations. All commercial approaches contribute to achieving the departmental objectives for education, children’s services, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England, and equalities and are underpinned by the following principles:Best value for government;Accountable management of outcomes/outputs;Providing sufficient information about the tender / grant opportunity to the; market to enable interested bidders to applyImpartially assessing each bid / application against the same criteria;Selecting the winning bidder on merit by reference to set criteria; andActive contract and grant management. Specific criteria are determined in relation to what is being procured or granted but support the principles above. In all cases, VCSE providers will need to respond to the Department’s selection and award criteria provided in the relevant documentation which is published on Contracts Finder or on Funding Central. There is no specified scoring system as this is in part determined by the criteria, but a common system used for the majority of competitions is:Score 5: excellent evidenceScore 4: strong evidenceScore 3: good evidence (often used as the minimal acceptable score)Score 2: partial evidenceScore 1: poor evidenceScore 0: no evidence/question not answered.

Department for Education: Third Sector

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which voluntary and charitable sector organisations are funded by her Department; how much each such organisation received in 2015-16; and how much each such organisation is due to receive in 2016-17.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department does not hold the information centrally in the form requested. Organisations receiving funding are not categorised by sector and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Department for Education: Equal Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department for Education is planning to undertake gender pay gap analysis using salary data from 31 March 2017 and will be publishing the information as soon as possible afterwards.

Schools: Asbestos

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects the findings from the Education Funding Agency's 2016 data collection on asbestos management in schools to be published.

Nick Gibb: The Department is intending to publish the findings from the Education Funding Agency data collection on asbestos management in schools as early as possible in the new year.

Pre-school Education: Standards

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children attending (a) maintained nursery schools and nursery classes in schools, (b) private, voluntary or independent nursery settings and (c) childminders achieved (i) a good level of development, (ii) at least the expected level of development and (iii) below the expected level of development measured according to the early years foundation stage for the latest year in which data is available.

Caroline Dinenage: On 20 October, the Department published the early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP) results for the 2015 to 2016 academic year, at national and local authority level. The EYFSP results are available at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results-2015-to-2016. The proportion of children achieving each level of development at the various types of settings is not readily available and could be compiled only at a disproportionate cost.

Department for Education: Pay

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average hourly earnings are of (a) female, (b) male, (c) BAME and (d) non-BAME employees of her Department.

Caroline Dinenage: The table below shows the average hourly earnings of the Department for Education (DfE) staff, including the Government Equalities Office (GEO) staff, by a) female b) male c) BME and d) non-BME.Average Earnings of DfE Staff (including GEO) Nov-16Female£20.61Male£21.97BME£18.98Non-BME£21.93 The following table shows the average hourly earnings of GEO staff by a) female and b) male.Average earnings of GEO Staff Nov-16Female£24.11Male£25.10 The Department and GEO records earnings as annual salaries. In order to convert the annual salaries to hourly rates the following calculation has been used: ((Gross Basic Salary*FTE)/52)/Weekly hours.The pay gap is lower when analysed at grade level for men and women and BME and non-BME. The gaps can be largely attributed to the fact that is greater proportions of women and BME staff of the lower pay bands.

Department for Education: Pay

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average hourly earnings are of her Department's (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average hourly earnings are of (a) female, (b) male, (c) full-time and (d) part-time employees of her Department.

Caroline Dinenage: The table below shows the average hourly earnings of the Department for Education (DfE) staff by a) female b) male c) BME d) Non-BME e) part-time and f) full time.Average Earnings of DfE Staff Nov-16Female£20.61Male£21.97BME£18.98Non-BME£21.93Part-time£21.04Full-time£21.19 The Department records earnings as annual salaries. In order to covert the annual salaries to hourly rates the following calculation has been used; ((Gross Basic Salary*FTE)/52)/Weekly hours.The pay gap is lower when analysed at grade level for men and women and BME and non-BME. The gaps can be largely attributed to the fact that are greater proportions of women and BME staff at the lower pay bands.

Pre-school Education: Standards

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of early years settings including maintained nursery schools, nursery classes, private, voluntary or independent nursery settings and child-minders are rated (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires improvement and (d) inadequate (i) nationally, (ii) in each region of England and (iii) in each local authority area.

Caroline Dinenage: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Tourism: Marketing

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much has been spent promoting British tourism in (a) Europe, (b) Asia, (c) North America and (d) total in (i) 2016, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2014.

Tracey Crouch: The below table from Visit Britain, which contains spending figures on Tourism for the aforementioned periods. The increase in funding during Financial Year 15/16 can be attributed to the inclusion of the North and South West Growth Funds.  EuropeAsiaNorth AmericaTotal Overseas Investment2014/15 Actuals7,912,4668,769,6947,714,66125,641,0702015/16 Actuals10,016,5959,555,6999,154,01329,574,5452016/17 Forecast6,053,2557,923,4786,659,80720,961,784

Football: Voluntary Work

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will estimate the number of volunteers in the football industry who work unsupervised with children.

Tracey Crouch: There are around 22,000 youth teams across England. The vast majority rely, entirely or mainly, on volunteers to run these teams and the vast majority of these volunteers have nothing but the best interests of the children, and the game, at heart. All team officials, coaches, managers, welfare officers and referees are considered in regulated activity and have an enhanced check with the Disclosure and Barring Service 's children’s barred list. The Football Association completes around 55,000 checks every year on such regulated activity. All coaches, whether qualified or with an assistant status, are considered in regulated activity.

Small Businesses: Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Quesiton 48089, what progress has been made in signing up small and medium-sized businesses to the cyber essentials programme; and what estimate she has made of the number of such businesses to be signed up in 2017.

Matt Hancock: At the end of November 2016, 4,792 Cyber Essentials certificates had been awarded, of which it is estimated 3,682 have been awarded to small and medium sized businesses, 77% of the total. The number of certificates issued to enterprises in each category is estimated at: micro 1,237; small 1,350; medium 1,095; and large 1,110. The Government, including the National Cyber Security Centre, is working on a range of measures to drive further and faster adoption of the scheme, including strengthening the existing requirement for Government suppliers which handle sensitive data or provide certain ICT products and services to hold a Cyber Essentials certificate. As such, we expect the rate of adoption to increase significantly throughout the coming year.

Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures Review

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish the results of the call for evidence on the Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2016 to Question 47027, when she expects to publish the Triennial Review of Stakes and Prizes for gambling machines.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of (a) limiting the amount that can be bet on fixed-odds betting terminals and (b) increasing the restrictions on gambling advertisements on television and the internet.

Tracey Crouch: A review of gaming machines and social responsibility measures (previously called the Triennial Review) began with a 6 week call for evidence on 24 October, closing on 4 December. As part of this, we sought evidence on Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals and gambling advertising. The review generated a lot of interest from the general public, as well as from a variety of interest groups, local authorities, trade bodies and industry. We are now looking in depth at the evidence and aim to publish our findings and any proposals in spring 2017.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Coastal Areas: Economic Growth

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the recommendations of the New Economics Foundation's Blue New Deal Action Plan, published in November 2016; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Defra officials have participated in several workshops held by the New Economics Foundation to discuss the Blue New Deal. It is a useful piece of work which is being considered alongside other research and evidence.

Animals: Licensing

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's consultation on the review of animal establishments licensing in England, which closed on 12 March 2016, when she plans to publish draft regulations on the licensing of animal establishments, and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Government proposes to publish a next steps document shortly which will set out our proposals for the animal establishments licensing review, following analysis of the 1,700 responses to the consultation.

Deer: Imports

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many reindeer imported into the UK in the last five years have survived for longer than two years; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many reindeer in how many consignments and from which countries have been imported into the UK in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are not able to provide any data regarding the number of imports from non-EU countries, as these are covered by a commodity code in TRACES which will not allow us to break the species down as far as reindeer for third country imports. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) does not hold data on how long reindeer survive after they are imported into the UK. Reindeer are protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. It is an offence to cause unnecessary suffering and for keepers to fail to ensure their needs are met to the extent required by good practice. Defra has a welfare Code for farmed deer which offers guidance on their health and welfare, some of which would also be applicable to reindeer. See the table below: YearCountry fromCount of ConsignmentsSum of Quantities2011Denmark12 Finland4125 Sweden2432011 Total 71702012Finland3592012 Total 3592013Finland697 Norway112 Sweden1862013 Total 81952014Finland472 Sweden71482014 Total 112202015Finland362 Norway116 Sweden4962015 Total 8174Grand Total 37818

Fishing Catches: Prices

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a maximum price for bass landed as allowable by catch which is linked to the price on the dock of pollock with that price calculated over the average price paid for pollock over the immediate three-month period; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Government believes that the setting of prices in the fishing sector is a commercial matter to be resolved by private negotiation which should take place within the parameters set by competition law. The market must determine prices. Sea bass catches are being restricted through ongoing fisheries measures agreed at EU level to address the currently reduced biomass and rebuild the stock. This is a Government priority to support both recreational and commercial interests in this important stock. Overall, EU levels of catch are successfully reducing.  For 2017, a small bass catch for fixed nets at 80% less than this year was agreed at EU level – representing an estimated 88% reduction of all UK netting bass catches from the 2011-13 baseline figure. Overall, in 2017, UK bass commercial catches are estimated to be reduced by 60% from the former baseline average.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the percentage gap in earnings is between the highest-paid and lowest-paid full-time employee in her Department.

George Eustice: Government departments do not publish details of the salary of their highest to lowest paid employees. The Office for National Statistics do, however, publish the salary ratio of highest to median earners for each Civil Service organisation. These ratios are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics and can be found on the Office for National Statistics website: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016

Biodiversity: British Overseas Territories

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to match EU funding for biodiversity projects in the UK Overseas Territories after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK will continue to have all the rights, obligations and benefits that membership brings, including receiving EU funding, until the UK leaves the EU. This includes funding for OTs. The UK has committed to fully involving Gibraltar and the Overseas Territories as we prepare for negotiations to leave the EU, to ensure their priorities are taken into account. Leaving the EU means we will want to take our own decisions about how to deliver the policy objectives previously targeted by EU funding. Over the coming months, we will consult closely with stakeholders, including the governments of the Overseas Territories, to review all EU funding schemes in the round and ensure that any ongoing funding commitments best serve the UK‘s national interest, while ensuring appropriate investor certainty.

Dogs: Sales

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's consultation, Animal welfare: reviewing animal establishments licensing in England, published in December 2015, what the evidential basis was for the conclusion that a ban on third party sales of puppies would lead to the creation of an illegal market.

George Eustice: The Government consulted on changes to the regulations on the breeding and sale of dogs earlier this year. While the Government did not propose a ban on third party sales, some responses were received in relation to this matter. Evidence was also presented to the recent EFRA Committee inquiry by Blue Cross, and The Dogs Trust on the annual demand for puppies and the risks of applying such a ban.

Food: Waste Disposal

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to increase the number of local authorities providing food waste collections.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Local councils should make decisions on waste and recycling services including the provision of food waste collection, taking into account local circumstances, and providing the service that local people want. The Government's aim is to prevent food waste in the first place. When food waste is unavoidable the Government wants to increase the amount that is recycled. Our delivery partner, the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) published guidance in spring 2016 on how local authorities can improve participation in food waste collection services. WRAP and the food waste industry also published a Food Waste Recycling Action Plan in July this year. This Action Plan sets out 16 practical steps which industry and local authorities can take to make food waste recycling easier and more cost effective.

Flood Control: Lancaster

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department received applications for flood defence funding from (a) Lancaster City Council, (b) Lancashire County Council and (c) the Environment Agency relating to the council district area of Lancaster City Council (i) between December 2015 and March 2016, (ii) between April 2016 and July 2016, (iii) between August 2016 and November 2016 and (iv) in December 2016.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The table below summarises the number of applications the department has received from Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council and the Environment Agency in partnership with Lancaster City Council since December 2015.  Applicant   Timescale(a) Lancaster City Council  (b) Lancashire County Council  (c) Environment Agency (in partnership with Lancaster City Council) (i) December 2015 – March 2016No applicationNo applicationNo application(ii) April 2016 – July 2016No application4 applications1 application(iii) August 2016 – November 2016No applicationNo application1 application(iv)December 2016No applicationNo applicationNo application

Flood Control: Lancaster

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding has been allocated to Lancashire for flood defences since December 2015.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Recycling

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of household waste she estimates will be recycled in each of the next three years.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the UK rate of recovery from non-hazardous construction and demolition waste for each of the next three years.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra does not forecast estimates of the proportion of household waste that will be recycled or the rate of recovery from non-hazardous construction and demolition waste in the UK in future years.

Soil: Carbon

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to collect soil organic carbon level data on farms.

George Eustice: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pet Animals Act 1951: Enforcement

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department takes to monitor the enforcement of the Pet Animals Act 1951 by local authorities.

George Eustice: We are currently reviewing the laws on the selling of pet animals with the aim of replacing the Pet Animals Act 1951 with regulations made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The purpose of the new regulations will be to ensure that it is easier for local authorities to enforce and to improve animal welfare.

Water Power

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the use of water mills to generate electricity.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: No specific discussions have occurred at Ministerial level on the use of water mills to generate electricity. However officials from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Environment Agency cooperate closely to ensure that small-scale hydropower is exploited in a sustainable way so as to minimise environmental and other impacts.

Sheep Dipping: Health Hazards

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2016 to Question 55615, if she will provide to the Sheep Dip Sufferers Support Group the minutes of the meeting the Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food held with it on 19 November 2015.

George Eustice: The note of the meeting is that to which I referred in my previous response. The Sheep Dip Sufferers Support Group was provided with the note taken, which they then published on their web site. This is still available at:http://www.sheepdipsufferers.uk/campaigning/Summary%20of%20meeting.pdf

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Equal Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans his Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.

Mr Robin Walker: The latest gender pay gap data (published in October earlier this year) can be found on the Office for National Statistics website. Due to the timings of the data collection DExEU was was not included in this exercise but this information can be found here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016In October 2015, the then Prime Minister announced that new gender pay gap reporting measures being introduced across the private and voluntary sector from April 2017 would be extended to also apply across the public sector. We are actively working to ensure the gender pay gap data we report in future fully mirrors these new requirements.The Civil Service has a comprehensive plan to become the most inclusive employer in the UK. This is called the Talent Action Plan and was refreshed in March 2016. The plan commits the Civil Service to a number of actions with the aim of removing barriers faced by underrepresented groups, including women, from succeeding. The plan sets out the ambition under key themes which includes recruitment and selection, talent and progression, inclusive culture and social mobility.Key actions include ensuring single gender panels in recruitment and shortlists are now by exception only (as committed in the first publication of the Talent Action Plan) and committing the Civil Service to reviewing the way in which talent is defined and identified to ensure more inclusive ways to identify potential are developed.

Dementia: Research

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if the Government will support free movement for EU nationals who contribute to dementia research in the UK when the UK leaves the EU.

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will take steps in the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU to maintain labour mobility for EU nationals who contribute to dementia research after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: As a government we recognise the contribution that our world-class research base makes to our economy and wellbeing. We will always welcome those with the skills, the drive and the expertise to make a positive contribution. If we are to win in the global marketplace, we must win the global battle for talent.We place huge value on maintaining the UK’s unique arrangements with Ireland and the friendly, cooperative relationship we have built of recent years. The open border for people and businesses has served us well and no-one wants to see a return to the borders of the past. There is a very strong commitment from the Irish Government, the Northern Ireland Executive as well as ourselves to see that this does not happen.

Wales Office

Brexit: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the potential economic effect on Wales of the UK leaving the EU.

Alun Cairns: The Welsh economy is facing both challenges and opportunities following Brexit.I have regular meetings with the Secretary of State for the Department for Exiting the European Union and he and I both recently met Welsh industry leaders to discuss these issues.My Department is committed to working closely with both the Welsh Government and the Department for Exiting the European Union to ensure we get the best possible deal for Wales. To summarise what my hon Friend the Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Wales said in the Westminster Hall Debate on 14 December, the Welsh economy is in a strong position to make the most of the opportunities that exiting the EU presents.

Wales Office: Information Officers

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much his Department has spent in total on salaries for staff working in press or communications roles in each year since 2010.

Guto Bebb: The Departmental spend on salaries for staff working in press and communications roles since 2010 is set out below: Financial YearSpend £2010/11201,8482011/12262,3502012/13326,1462013/14183,2712014/15350,6372015/16330,759

Ministry of Justice

Prison Service: Pay

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been paid in Payment Plus to prison officer grades in each prison establishment since January 2016.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many hours were worked in Payment Plus by prison officer grades in each prison establishment since January 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: A core part of our prison safety and reform plan is the recruitment of an additional 2,500 additional prison officers. In 10 of our most challenging prisons we have already started a recruitment programme. I am pleased to say that we have already made 280 job offers for those 400 jobs, on top of 1,400 new officers appointed in the last 12 months.The information requested is shown in the tables below. Since the summer of 2014, NOMS have effectively managed operational stability through arrangements that redeploy staff to neighbouring establishments. Payment Plus is one of the measures available to NOMS that has been used alongside national Detached Duty arrangements.Table 1: Amount paid in Payment Plus to prison officer grades in public sector prison establishments, England & Wales, January to June 2016EstablishmentAmount paid (£)  Askham Grange£53,966  Aylesbury£114,236  Bedford£107,126  Belmarsh£408,134  Berwyn£7,656  Blantyre House£9,914  Brinsford£155,297  Bristol£186,862  Brixton£310,220  Buckley Hall£58,778  Bullingdon£152,195  Bure£134,621  Cardiff£161,887  Channings Wood£224,931  Chelmsford£197,975  Coldingley£102,609  Dartmoor£174,874  Deerbolt£160,088  Downview£26,317  Drake Hall£65,000  Durham£135,114  East Sutton Park£21,566  Eastwood Park£199,070  Elmley£327,682  Erlestoke£152,538  Exeter£190,904  Featherstone£208,686  Ford£7,238  Foston Hall£155,197  Frankland£321,288  Full Sutton£567,156  Garth£223,294  Gartree£272,563  Glen Parva£121,023  Grendon£94,195  Guys Marsh£141,972  Hatfield (Moorland Open)£45,869  Haverigg£86,923  Hewell£454,012  High Down£342,476  Highpoint£244,358  Hindley£131,269  Hollesley Bay£16,086  Holloway£209,281  Holme House£307,052  Hull£238,159  Humber£165,014  Huntercombe£107,684  Isis£96,820  Isle Of Wight£382,856  Kennet£183,808  Kirkham£45,668  Kirklevington£5,895  Lancaster Farms£69,263  Leeds£440,738  Leicester£179,259  Lewes£136,246  Leyhill£18,890  Lincoln£224,213  Lindholme£274,453  Littlehey£328,434  Liverpool£395,283  Long Lartin£277,298  Low Newton£94,181  Maidstone£86,621  Manchester£512,558  Moorland£211,444  Mount£172,257  New Hall£243,754  North Sea Camp£61,284  Norwich£169,808  Nottingham£199,626  Onley£222,811  Pentonville£337,910  Portland£135,591  Preston£219,840  Ranby£263,513  Risley£290,675  Rochester£187,269  Send£64,962  Stafford£260,602  Standford Hill£36,655  Stocken£164,759  Stoke Heath£193,471  Styal£217,226  Sudbury£76,363  Swaleside£334,679  Swansea£180,804  Swinfen Hall£243,478  Thorn Cross£70,784  Usk£176,746  Wakefield£342,440  Wandsworth£485,973  Warren Hill£83,083  Wayland£191,846  Wealstun£300,915  Whatton£211,304  Whitemoor£290,559  Winchester£126,752  Woodhill£368,543  Wormwood Scrubs£576,507  Wymott£230,368  Total£19,997,439  Notes   Figures are provided for public sector prison establishments, excluding Juvenile prisons and Immigration Removal Centres.   The figures in the above table will not necessarily correspond with the figures for hours worked given in Table 2 below, as there is a time lag between hours being incurred and hours being paid.The figures in the above table relate to the cost of Payment Plus hours for Band 3, Band 4 and Band 5 officers; it should be noted that not all Band 5 hours are included in the data for PQ 42041.The term 'Overtime' is used in payroll for Payment Plus for Bands 3 and above, but elsewhere the term 'Payment Plus' is used.   Table 2: Payment Plus hours incurred in public sector prison establishments, England & Wales, January to June 2016  EstablishmentHours  Askham Grange663  Aylesbury6,028  Bedford5,851  Belmarsh18,828  Brinsford3,795  Bristol7,735  Brixton15,976  Buckley Hall1,226  Bullingdon9,211  Bure6,875  Cardiff6,427  Channings Wood9,681  Chelmsford11,276  Coldingley3,674  Dartmoor5,003  Deerbolt8,521  Downview1,020  Drake Hall3,191  Durham6,770  East Sutton Park1,097  Eastwood Park11,458  Elmley11,558  Erlestoke8,815  Exeter9,627  Featherstone9,219  Ford396  Foston Hall7,239  Frankland17,507  Full Sutton28,012  Garth5,917  Gartree12,839  Glen Parva6,721  Grendon5,216  Guys Marsh6,314  Hatfield (Moorland Open)384  Haverigg4,209  Hewell21,407  High Down13,609  Highpoint5,501  Hindley6,195  Hollesley Bay731  Holloway8,369  Holme House15,128  Hull11,350  Humber8,099  Huntercombe4,006  Isis6,218  Isle Of Wight19,796  Kennet4,761  Kirkham455  Kirklevington88  Lancaster Farms1,835  Leeds20,327  Leicester6,956  Lewes8,169  Leyhill929  Lincoln11,913  Lindholme12,585  Littlehey9,400  Liverpool19,911  Long Lartin5,249  Low Newton4,495  Maidstone1,630  Manchester27,948  Moorland9,294  Mount8,024  New Hall12,887  North Sea Camp3,587  Norwich7,787  Nottingham7,572  Onley11,227  Pentonville17,611  Portland4,992  Preston11,123  Ranby13,099  Risley8,638  Rochester8,936  Send3,589  Stafford13,631  Standford Hill1,516  Stocken8,670  Stoke Heath9,577  Styal9,161  Sudbury2,601  Swaleside13,248  Swansea6,845  Swinfen Hall11,398  Thorn Cross3,208  Usk6,914  Wakefield19,293  Wandsworth19,391  Warren Hill4,133  Wayland9,433  Wealstun15,382  Whatton8,896  Whitemoor15,123  Winchester5,475  Woodhill21,575  Wormwood Scrubs27,242  Wymott9,575  Grand Total905,988  Notes   Figures are provided for public sector prison establishments, excluding Juvenile establishments and Immigration Removal Centres.  The figures for hours provided in the above table will not necessarily correspond with cost data given in Table 1 above, as there is a time lag between hours being incurred and hours being paid.  The figures for hours in the above table are the Payment Plus hours for rostered Band 3, Band 4 and Band 5 officers; the figures for Payment Plus costs in the accompanying PQ 42038 will include the cost of some non-rostered Band 5 officers.

Life Imprisonment

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average tariff given with a mandatory life sentence was in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: A life sentence is mandatory for murder and the courts must follow statutory guidance on determining the minimum term, or tariff, in these cases. A life sentence must be imposed for a second, very serious, specified violent or sexual offence – for example, manslaughter, GBH with intent, rape, and sexual assault on a child under 13 - unless the court finds that there are particular circumstances relating to the offence or the offender which would make it unjust to do so. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent judiciary. The average tariff given to offenders receiving all mandatory life sentences and life sentences for murder, England and Wales, 2005 to 2015, can be viewed in the table. The total number of offenders receiving a life sentence is published in the criminal justice system statistics quarterly bulletin on gov.uk.Table: Average tariff(1) given to offenders receiving mandatory life sentences and life sentences for murder, England and Wales, 2005 to 2015(2)(3) Mandatory life sentences(5)(average tariff, years)   200515.7   200617.4   200716.2   2008(4)18.9   200918.3   201019.2   201119.3   201220.6   201321.1   201420.7   201521.2  . = No automatic life sentence given or all tariff lengths missing  Source: Court proceedings database   (1) Averages exclude tariffs that are missing or whole life (recorded as ‘99 years’ in the data). (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Please note that there is variable completeness of recorded tariff length over the years, with lower completeness in certain years.(3) Data are given on a principal disposal basis - i.e. reporting the most severe sentence for the principal offence. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July and August 2008. (5) Includes life sentences for murder and automatic/two-strike life sentences: s2 Crime (Sentences) Act 1997, s122 Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (6) This includes all life sentences for murder.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice. Ref: PQ 42915

Pentonville Prison

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Annual Report 2015 on HM Prison Pentonville, published by the Independent Monitoring Board in July 2016, what progress her Department has made on the replacement of (a) the worst 100 windows by the end of 2016 and (b) every cell window by September 2017.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The window replacement programme at HMP Pentonville is underway and is making good progress. The Secretary of State has spoken with the Governor about the programme to ensure that the appropriate support is being provided, and the plan is being reviewed in order to accelerate progress.The recently published White Paper on prison reform announced a major shake-up of the prison system with 2,500 extra prison officers and new security measures to tackle drones, phones and drugs and help make prisons places of safety and reform.

Prisons: Security

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans she has to review guidance in Prison Service Instruction 09/2016, cell, area and vehicle searching, in respect of the regularity of accommodation fabric checks and cell searches outside the high security estate.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions she has had with the (a) Prison Governors Association and (b) Prison Officers Association on the regularity of accommodation fabric checks and cell searches outside the high security estate.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Prison Service Instructions are reviewed on a regular basis in keeping with changes in policy and legislation and where new threats or opportunities arise. As part of the Prison Reform programme, work is underway to revise all Prison Instructions, providing simpler and more manageable documents which will allow prisons to operate more effectively.Meetings held by Ministers are published on .gov.uk. The Secretary of State has met recently with representatives of the Prison Officers’ Association and Prison Governors Association and discussed a range of issues. Officials from the National Offender Management Service regularly hold discussions with staff associations, including on matters relating to security.As part of the work on prison reform announced by the Government in the recent White Paper, we are planning to boost our searching capability within prisons and are examining options for better equipped and more widely deployed searching teams at national, regional and local levels. We are also investing in improved intelligence capabilities at all levels to enable searching and other security activities to be targeted more effectively.

Immigration: Legal Aid Scheme

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many legal aid applications for exceptional funding in relation to immigration matters were refused on means grounds in each of the last four years; and of those decisions how many were subsequently overturned.

Sir Oliver Heald: We believe that the exceptional case funding (ECF) scheme is functioning as intended. Its purpose is to provide funding where it is legally needed. Every ECF application is carefully considered by the Legal Aid Agency on an individual basis.The volume of ECF applications refused on means grounds since April 2013, by financial year, is provided in the table below.Financial yearQuarter (if Applicable)Volume2013-14 22014-15 62015-16 122016-17Q1 only4 Of these 24 applications, none of the refusal decisions were subsequently overturned. We have here used the definition of an “overturned decision” to be where a solicitor has set out that the original ECF means assessment was incorrect, as opposed to where further means information later in time led to a subsequent application being granted for the same individual for immigration proceedings.

Prison Service: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to her oral contribution of 15 November 2016, Official Report, column 131, what her policy is on the introduction of a programme to re-recruit prison officers who have recently left the service on temporary contracts.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We currently offer permanent flexible contracts to ex-prison officers under the HMPS Reserve Scheme which was established in November 2015. This was preceded by a Fixed-Term Contract project to recruit ex-officers which ran between 2014 and 2015.Under the HMPS Reserve Scheme, we offer a permanent flexible contract to prison officers who have left voluntarily within the preceding 2 years. These staff will work flexibly to meet the needs of the estate. This helps to support the current operational workforce across the estate and to complement existing methods for meeting the staffing needs of prisons around the country.HMPS Reserve staff provide a valuable flexible resource for NOMS by supporting prison regimes. Former prison officers can also request to be re-employed. Under the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles we can re appoint those who have left within the last 5 years.

Prisons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is for (a) recruitment and posting of the extra prison officers and (b) the special measures for vulnerable and mentally ill inmates announced in November 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Justice Secretary announced major reforms to the prison system in the Prison Safety and Reform White Paper published on 3 November, to cut reoffending and help reduce crime.To achieve this, we are investing more than £100 million to boost the frontline with 2,500 extra staff by the end of 2018. This will help drive forward our reforms to reduce violence, improve standards and increase the staff to prisoner ratio. One of our first steps will be to invest an extra £14 million at 10 priority sites, including HMP Berwyn in Wales, which will pay for an extra 400 prison officers.Governors are critical to the successful delivery of safe prisons. That is why from April 2017, we are giving governors the power and budget to determine how their prisons are run. This includes governors having the authority to do their own workforce planning, decide what staffing structures best meets their local needs and deciding how to deploy extra staff in prisons.With regards to special measures for vulnerable and mentally ill inmates, it is vitally important that we provide the appropriate mental health care to prisoners to support their rehabilitation. That is why we are giving prison governors more say in delivering healthcare services in their prisons.As part of these reforms, we will move to a joint approach to commissioning health services in England. Governors, working closely with local health commissioners and clinical experts, will be involved in the decision making process at each stage of the commissioning cycle. In Wales, where health is a devolved matter, we will liaise with the responsible Local Health Boards and the Welsh Government.All prisons have procedures in place to identify, manage and support people who are at risk of harm to themselves.All new intake prison officers receive mental health awareness training as part of their entry level training.

Prisoners: Suicide

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of implications for its policies of the findings of the report of the Howard League, Preventing prison suicide, published on 28 November 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government is committed to making prisons safe. Reducing self-inflicted deaths is a key priority for the Government.As part of this, providing the right intervention and treatment is vital to improving the outcomes for people who are suffering or otherwise vulnerable. All prisons have established procedures in place to identify, manage and support people with mental health issues or at risk of suicide or self-harm.But we recognise that more can be done. That is why we have invested in specialist mental health training for prison officers, allocated more funding for prison safety and have launched a suicide and self-harm reduction project to address the increase in self-inflicted deaths and self-harm in our prisons.

Prison Service: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 5.17 of the Autumn Statement 2016, how many of the additional prison staff paid for by the £500 million of extra funding to enable the recruitment of 2,500 extra prison officers and wider reforms will be (a) Band 3 to 5 Officers, (b) Operational Support Grade officers and (c) other grades.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Justice Secretary announced major reforms to the prison system in the Prison Safety and Reform White Paper published on 3 November, to cut reoffending and help reduce crime.As part of these reforms, we are going to empower governors, giving them the freedom to drive forward reform. That is why from April 2017, we are giving governors the power and budget to determine how their prisons are run. This includes governors having the authority to do their own workforce planning, decide what staffing structures best meets their local needs and deciding how to deploy extra staff in prisons.

Prisons

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many safer cells were built in prisons in England in each year since 2010; and how many existing prison cells were converted into safer cells in each such year.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Safer cells are designed to make an act of suicide or self-harm as difficult as possible. However, no cell is totally safe, and where a prisoner is accommodated in a safer cell, this forms only a part of the package of support measures that are put in place to manage the risk of self-harm or suicide.Since 2010 all new prison accommodation has been built to safer cell standards. There is no central record of the number of cells that were converted into safer cells during this period.

Harassment: Court Orders

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many restraining orders were imposed as a result of stalking and harassment in England and Wales in 2014 and 2015.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many restraining orders imposed in England and Wales in 2014 and 2015 explicitly restricted online contact.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many restraining orders imposed in England and Wales in 2014 and 2015 restricted contact through the use of legal processes.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of how frequently perpetrators of harassment or stalking seek indirectly to contact their victim through (a) civil and (b) family court action.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government is clear that stalking and harassment, which cause misery for victims, are totally unacceptable. The fixated nature of stalking may result in a prolonged campaign sometimes lasting many years. So we are determined to do everything possible to protect all victims of stalking and stop perpetrators at the earliest opportunity – even before the stage at which a perpetrator might be prosecuted. That is why, following a public consultation, we have recently announced that there will be a new civil stalking protection order, to support victims of stalking at an earlier stage and address the perpetrator’s behaviours before they become entrenched.The number of restraining orders imposed as result of stalking and harassment in England and Wales, 2014 and 2015 can be viewed in the table. Information on the specific restrictions included in a restraining order is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.Nor do we hold data on how frequently perpetrators of these crimes seek to contact their victims through action in the civil or family courts. The courts do have powers to deal with unmeritorious claims and applications. The court may strike out the action as an abuse of process or issue an order restricting the litigant’s ability to continue with further applications or claims, either of its own motion or on request by a party to the proceedings.

Administration of Justice

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on access to justice for the most vulnerable people in society.

Sir Oliver Heald: The operation of the legal aid scheme is continually monitored by both the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Agency, with legal aid statistics published on a quarterly basis. In addition to this, we are committed to reviewing Parts 1 and 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 by April 2018. The timing of this review will be announced in due course.

Offenders: Employment

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to incentivise employers to recruit ex-offenders.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We want prisons to be places of hard work and high ambition, with incentives for prisoners to learn. We also want prison staff to prioritise education and employment opportunities. We are giving governors greater control over their budgets to bring in education and employment schemes that deliver real results. More private sector companies now employ ex-offenders than ever before, but we are keen to increase the number of employers who can provide valuable vocational work for offenders in prison, and who are able to offer them employment on release.

Prison Service: Staff

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers are employed in England and Wales.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Full information on staffing in prisons in England and Wales is published in the NOMS Quarterly Workforce Bulletin available on the gov.uk website.

Ministry of Justice: Equal Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans her Department has to publish information on the gender pay gap among its employees.

Dr Phillip Lee: MoJ collects data on pay, broken down by gender, and plans to publish information in line with legislation.

Offences against Children

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to fully implement section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 relating to sexual communication with a child.

Sir Oliver Heald: The Government is committed to commencing and implementing section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 and will do so as soon as possible.

Prisons: Smuggling

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of searches of (a) prison staff and (b) visitors when entering prisons on reducing the number of prohibited items being brought into prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: NOMS’ national policies and procedures are reviewed regularly to ensure that they are effective in dealing with threats to prisons, including the importation of prohibited items. We are planning to boost our searching capability within prisons and are examining options for better equipped and more widely deployed searching teams at national, regional and local levels. We are also investing in improved intelligence capabilities at all levels to enable searching and other security activities to be targeted more effectively.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Staff

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what plans his Department has to include worker representation on its departmental board.

David Mundell: I refer the hon Member to the oral statement on the Corporate Governance Green Paper of 29 November 2016, Official Report, Column 1408.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Staff

Jake Berry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to include worker representation on its departmental board.

Jake Berry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans 10 Downing Street has to include worker representation on its departmental board.

Ben Gummer: I refer the Hon. Member to the oral statement on the Corporate Governance Green Paper of 29 November 2016, Official Report, Column 1408.

Cabinet Office: Pay

Jake Berry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the percentage gap in earnings is between the highest-paid and lowest-paid full-time employee in his Department.

Jake Berry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the percentage gap in earnings is between the pay of full-time staff in the highest pay grade in his Department and average full-time pay in that Department.

Jake Berry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the percentage gap in earnings is between the highest-paid and lowest-paid full-time employee in 10 Downing Street.

Jake Berry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the percentage gap in earnings is between the pay of full-time staff in the highest pay grade in 10 Downing Street and average full-time pay in that Department.

Ben Gummer: The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office and is included in this reply.Government departments do not publish details of the salary of their highest to lowest paid employees.The Office for National Statistics do, however, publish the salary ratio of highest to median earners for each Civil Service organization. These ratios are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics and can be found on the Office for National Statistics website:https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/civilservicestatistics/2016

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2016 to Question 56146, how many people registering their identity have used the service to (a) report a medical condition that affects their driving, (b) renew a short-term medical driving licence, (c) check their income tax for the current year, (d) get a state pension statement, (e) sign into their personal tax account, (f) view or share driving licence information, (g) apply for universal credit, (h) claim for redundancy and monies owed, (i) file a self assessment tax return, (j) update rural payment details, (k) assist friends or family with their tax and (l) check or update company car tax details.

Ben Gummer: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 15 December 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The number of new verified identity accounts used to register and access the following government services since GOV.UK Verify went into public beta on the 14th October 2016, 2014, is as follows:Government serviceNew verified accounts used to register and access a service (LOA2)New basic accounts used to register and access a service (LOA1)Claim for redundancy and monies owed42,875Update rural payment details13,754View or share driving licence information24,482Apply for universal credit29,307Check or update company car tax details49,088Assist friends or family with their tax1,929Sign into their personal tax account43,539File a self assessment tax return234,904Check their income tax for the current year24,961Get a state pension statement62,587Report a medical condition that affects their driving979Renew a short-term medical driving licence545

Ben Gummer: The number of new verified identity accounts used to register and access the following government services since GOV.UK Verify went into public beta on the 14th October 2016, 2014, is as follows:Government serviceNew verified accounts used to register and access a service (LOA2)New basic accounts used to register and access a service (LOA1)Claim for redundancy and monies owed42,875Update rural payment details13,754View or share driving licence information24,482Apply for universal credit29,307Check or update company car tax details49,088Assist friends or family with their tax1,929Sign into their personal tax account43,539File a self assessment tax return234,904Check their income tax for the current year24,961Get a state pension statement62,587Report a medical condition that affects their driving979Renew a short-term medical driving licence545